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ZIP code

68044

in Nickerson, NebraskaPopulation 715

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

53.44/ 100

Ranked #11,454 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 36%)

Ranked #314 of 566 Nebraska ZIPs (bottom 45%)

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Robust across all 9 health domains

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.

Radon

3.7 pCi/L

in the top 3.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST52nd
US96th
Definition & 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 ›

Median household income

$141,250

in the top 5.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST98th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.

Full methodology ›

Loneliness

27.6%

in the bottom 5.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST30th
US5th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report feeling lonely.

Full methodology ›

Floodplain exposure

34.1%

in the top 8.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.

Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

19.3%

in the top 9.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST59th
US91st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.

Full methodology ›

Home broadband subscription

96.7%

in the top 11.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST92nd
US88th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Full methodology ›

Arsenic in groundwater

6.8%

in the top 27% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST93rd
US73rd
Definition & 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

Overall, Nickerson, Nebraska (ZIP 68044) lands in the top 36% healthiest ZIPs nationally (11,454th) and the bottom 45% of Nebraska (314th).

continue reading

The signals balance out across the profile, strengths against concerns: household income stands in the top 5.0% nationally, and modeled loneliness lies in the bottom 5.4% nationally. Home broadband subscription lands in the top 11.6% nationally, and modeled short sleep sits in the bottom 12.4% nationally. Housing-cost burden is in the bottom 16% nationally, and modeled tooth loss settles in the bottom 14.6% nationally. Set against that, modeled radon resides in the top 3.6% nationally, floodplain exposure registers in the top 8.3% nationally, and modeled binge drinking rests in the top 9.3% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility stands at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.

A note on the terms: radon is a radioactive soil gas the EPA identifies as the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. 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. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". For a healthier nearby comparison, ZIP 68002, just across the boundary, ranks better overall.

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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Mental Health

healthier than 96%

8%

Disability

healthier than 61%

7%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 63%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 56%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 51%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 41%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 45%

11%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 25%

14%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 16%

5%

Lifting this score

Mental Health

healthier than 81%

8%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 87%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 41%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 41%

16%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 47%

14%

Holding it back

Preventive Care

healthier than 28%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 26%

11%

Disability

healthier than 36%

7%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 7%

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.

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
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults29.7%27.4–32.1
High blood pressure among adults37.1%34.3–40.0
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.0%9.3–10.8
Current asthma among adults9.1%8.2–10.0
Coronary heart disease among adults7.6%6.8–8.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults7.7%6.7–8.7
Depression among adults16.6%14.7–18.6
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.8%11.4–14.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.0%34.2–39.9
Obesity among adults41.4%37.1–45.9
Stroke among adults3.8%3.4–4.2
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years8.3%7.1–9.8
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years10.3%8.6–12.1
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure80.9%78.8–82.8
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults77.2%74.6–79.6
Cholesterol screening among adults85.6%84.1–87.2
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years64.6%61.0–68.3
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults61.9%59.1–64.8
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years73.4%68.0–78.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.3%16.9–21.6
Current cigarette smoking among adults15.4%13.2–17.5
No leisure-time physical activity among adults27.5%24.2–31.0
Short sleep duration among adults30.6%26.7–35.0
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults17.9%15.7–20.2
Frequent mental distress among adults13.0%11.7–14.4
Frequent physical distress among adults13.4%12.0–14.9
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults11.9%10.6–13.3
Any disability among adults29.0%25.8–32.2
Hearing disability among adults8.8%8.0–9.7
Independent living disability among adults7.4%6.6–8.3
Mobility disability among adults14.5%12.7–16.3
Self-care disability among adults3.8%3.4–4.2
Vision disability among adults4.8%4.3–5.3
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults19.8%17.3–22.4
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.0%10.2–14.0
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults8.6%7.2–10.3
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.8%7.6–10.2
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults6.3%5.6–7.2
Loneliness among adults27.6%24.3–30.9
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.2%5.4–7.1
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NE median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate13.3%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.0% (2.6–16.7%) n=578
Uninsured 18–6410.1%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2868.4% (1.6–20.4%) n=579
No HS diploma (25+)46.4%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.2% (1.5–11.9%) n=578
Bachelor's or higher (25+)15.0%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50524.4% (12.1–39.7%) n=578
Unemployment rate (16+)3.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.4% (0.0–5.8%) n=579
Households without a vehicle2.2%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.1% (0.0–7.6%) n=578
Broadband subscription96.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (75.9–96.3%) n=578
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)13.7%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.5% (7.6–30.4%) n=578
Homeownership rate86.3%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32280.5% (61.0–93.2%) n=578
Crowded housing (>1 per room)3.7%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.7% (0.0–4.6%) n=578
Foreign-born population23.6%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.1% (0.0–8.3%) n=579
Single-parent households75.0%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08757.2% (42.6–77.1%) n=577
Population 65+7.3%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55321.2% (11.4–34.7%) n=579
Median age34.2 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.3 yr (33.0–56.3) n=577
Median household income$141,250$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,386 ($53,469–$103,625) n=556
Median home value$76,600$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$168,400 ($90,000–$306,740) n=533
Median gross rent$955$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$850 ($610–$1,250) n=442
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NE median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth81.6 yr ± 1.2578.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30880.1 yr (77.4–83.0) n=553

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 1.25 years of 81.6, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

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