ZIP code
63846
in Essex, MissouriPopulation 1,239
36.05/ 100
Ranked #28,973 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 9.7%)
Ranked #832 of 993 Missouri ZIPs (bottom 16%)
Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.
What defines this ZIP
Metrics where this ZIP sits in the tails of the national distribution — the ones that most set it apart. Select any tile for its definition and methodology.
Cognitive disability
21.1%
in the top 5.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST84thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
40.4 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
28.1%
in the top 8.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Independent-living disability
12.3%
in the top 9.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS90thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have difficulty doing errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition.
Full methodology ›Radon
1.1 pCi/L
in the bottom 26% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS26thDefinition & source ›
The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.
Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
96.4 days/year
in the top 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS75thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
Full methodology ›Arsenic in groundwater
5.8%
in the top 32% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS68thDefinition & source ›
The modeled probability that untreated groundwater in this area — the source private wells draw on — exceeds the federal arsenic limit of 10 micrograms per liter.
A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.
Full methodology ›The read
On balance, and by the composite measure, Essex, Missouri (ZIP 63846) ranks in the bottom 9.7% nationally (28,973rd) and the bottom 16% of Missouri (832nd), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: modeled cognitive disability settles in the top 5.8% nationally. Against that, fatal road crashes lies in the top 6.8% nationally, and poverty resides in the top 8.1% nationally. Modeled independent living disability lands in the top 9.8% nationally, mobility disability registers in the top 11.0% nationally, and hearing disability sits in the top 10.9% nationally. Modeled fair or poor health rests in the top 12.9% nationally, and short sleep is in the top 14.0% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility stands at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs. Recreation settles at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs.
In plainer terms, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 63735, just across the boundary.
What’s driving this score
Nine domains make up the ZipVitals Score — here is how this ZIP does on each, and how much each one counts.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 41%
14%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 18%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 13%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 19%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 5%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 16%
8%
Disability
healthier than 10%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 21%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 35%
5%
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 25%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 10%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 31%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 15%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 6%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 18%
8%
Disability
healthier than 16%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 14%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 36%
5%
“Share” is how much of this ZIP’s score the domain accounts for. Percentages are rounded; higher is healthier in every domain. How the score works, and who it compares you with ›
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
63735
Missourishares a border
Score 36.73
Closest healthier
63801
Missourishares a border
Score 40.98
Similar health profile
70436
Louisiana99% similar profile
Score 23.53
How these were chosen: only ZIPs with a published Score appear — a nearby ZIP with too little data to score won’t. Nearby means closest by distance between ZIP boundaries, which can cross state lines. A similar health profile is a close match across the nine Score domains, not similar demographics. Distances are measured between ZIP boundaries — ZIPs that touch share a border. How distance is measured
Evidence
Every measure this page draws on, by source. Collapsed by default — the full data stays in the page for search engines either way.
Health OutcomesCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis among adults | 35.5% | 32.3–38.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 41.2% | 37.4–45.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.3% | 8.4–10.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.1% | 9.8–12.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.9% | 8.0–9.9 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.9% | 10.4–13.4 |
| Depression among adults | 26.1% | 22.7–29.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.9% | 13.1–16.8 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.4% | 35.5–43.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 38.4% | 32.3–45.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.8% | 4.3–5.2 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 20.5% | 16.9–24.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 11.2% | 9.4–13.5 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 78.1% | 75.4–80.7 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.0% | 73.6–80.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 82.3% | 80.1–84.5 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 63.4% | 58.2–68.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 50.1% | 46.3–53.9 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 72.7% | 64.7–79.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.8% | 12.3–17.7 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 22.9% | 19.8–26.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 36.6% | 32.0–41.7 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.7% | 34.8–46.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 28.0% | 24.6–31.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 19.3% | 17.3–21.5 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 18.1% | 16.1–20.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 21.1% | 18.7–23.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 45.0% | 40.6–49.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.8% | 9.6–12.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 12.3% | 10.9–13.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 21.6% | 19.1–24.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.5% | 4.9–6.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.9% | 6.1–7.7 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 21.1% | 17.8–24.4 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 18.3% | 15.5–21.4 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 15.4% | 13.0–18.0 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.8% | 11.8–15.8 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 10.0% | 8.7–11.4 |
| Loneliness among adults | 33.4% | 28.7–38.2 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 10.3% | 8.9–11.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 28.1% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.3% (3.2–26.0%) n=1,009 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 31.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 13.2% (3.5–28.4%) n=1,006 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 21.2% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 9.5% (2.5–20.5%) n=1,009 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 8.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 18.1% (7.2–40.2%) n=1,009 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 2.9% (0.0–8.5%) n=1,003 |
| Households without a vehicle | 7.8% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.1% (0.0–11.9%) n=1,009 |
| Broadband subscription | 88.1% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 86.3% (72.7–95.2%) n=1,009 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 26.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 20.7% (8.4–33.9%) n=1,009 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 79.4% (56.0–94.3%) n=1,009 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 2.9% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.1%) n=1,009 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.8% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.8% (0.0–6.4%) n=1,010 |
| Single-parent households | 51.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 55.0% (39.5–75.6%) n=1,005 |
| Population 65+ | 14.2% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.2% (11.7–31.1%) n=1,010 |
| Median age | 39.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.5 yr (33.3–55.9) n=1,005 |
| Median household income | $50,813 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $61,740 ($42,457–$95,231) n=948 |
| Median home value | $93,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $174,150 ($91,880–$309,500) n=930 |
| Median gross rent | $687 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $813 ($553–$1,265) n=786 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | MO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.4 yr ± 0.85 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 77.6 yr (74.6–81.0) n=995 |
About the ± — it’s this estimate’s give-or-take (statisticians call it the standard error). The true life expectancy for this ZIP most likely falls within 0.85 years of 75.4, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.
More ZIPs to explore ▾More ZIPs to explore ▴
How these lists were built: they draw only from ZIPs that have a published Score, so ZIPs with too little data to score are not listed. Distance-based lists use distance between ZIP boundaries with no state filter, so an out-of-state ZIP can appear. Statistically similar means a close match across the nine Score domains, not a demographic match: the measure is the cosine similarity between two ZIPs’ domain scores, taken over the domains both ZIPs have data for and only where that overlap covers at least six of the nine — and where no ZIP clears that minimum-overlap floor, that list is left out rather than filled with a weak match. How distance is measured