Skip to main content
ZipVitals

Menu

ZIP code

68821

in Brewster, NebraskaPopulation 89

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

49.38/ 100

Ranked #17,116 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 47%)

Ranked #498 of 566 Nebraska ZIPs (bottom 12.1%)

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

Broad coverage across 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.

Energy-cost burden

7.5%

in the top 0.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.

A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a community health center

59.2 mi

in the top 0.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a nursing home

29.5 mi

in the top 1.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.

Full methodology ›

Distance to an emergency room

31.7 mi

in the top 1.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.

Full methodology ›

Walkability

0.89 intersections/sq mi

in the bottom 2.2% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST5th
US2nd
Definition & source ›

The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.

Full methodology ›

Housing-cost burden

52%

in the top 2.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a Superfund site

92 mi

in the top 4.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US96th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

18.5 mi

in the top 5.6% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

19.7 per million

in the bottom 7.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST9th
US8th
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.

Full methodology ›

Transportation noise

0.13%

in the bottom 8.9% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST10th
US9th
Definition & source ›

The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.

Full methodology ›

The read

Brewster, Nebraska (ZIP 68821), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 47% nationally (17,116th) and the bottom 12.1% of Nebraska (498th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

A few readings account for most of this area's strain: modeled energy burden rests in the top 0.9% nationally, distance to a community health center settles in the top 0.6% nationally, and distance to a nursing home lands in the top 1.6% nationally. Distance to an emergency room rests in the top 1.7% nationally, walkability settles in the bottom 2.2% nationally, and housing-cost burden lands in the top 2.5% nationally. On the better side, distance to a Superfund site rests in the top 4.1% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility settles in the top 5.6% nationally. Unemployment lands at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Modeled air-toxics cancer risk rests in the bottom 7.6% nationally.

Defined simply, for reference, distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. 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. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 68714, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 90%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 89%

8%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 46%

21%

Preventive Care

healthier than 53%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 44%

11%

Disability

healthier than 51%

7%

Climate / Disaster RiskPartial

healthier than 52%

5%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 6%

16%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.2%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

in the top 0.00%

14%

Climate / Disaster RiskPartial

healthier than 87%

5%

About typical

Preventive Care

healthier than 50%

13%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 26%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.9%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 23%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 15%

8%

Disability

healthier than 23%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.00%

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 adults30.6%27.3–34.4
High blood pressure among adults38.0%33.8–42.5
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults10.7%9.6–11.9
Current asthma among adults10.0%8.9–11.4
Coronary heart disease among adults8.0%6.8–9.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.2%6.5–10.1
Depression among adults18.4%15.8–21.9
Diagnosed diabetes among adults12.1%10.3–14.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened36.8%32.9–41.2
Obesity among adults38.7%31.3–47.1
Stroke among adults4.1%3.4–4.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years12.3%9.9–14.9
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years7.8%5.7–10.6
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure81.2%78.8–83.6
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults76.9%73.6–80.2
Cholesterol screening among adults85.5%83.2–87.6
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years69.6%63.9–74.8
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults61.6%57.8–65.3
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years73.2%64.7–80.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults17.8%15.2–21.0
Current cigarette smoking among adults15.2%11.6–19.1
No leisure-time physical activity among adults29.4%23.6–35.8
Short sleep duration among adults32.4%25.9–39.5
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults17.9%14.5–21.9
Frequent mental distress among adults14.4%12.5–16.7
Frequent physical distress among adults13.6%11.5–16.0
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults12.6%10.5–15.1
Any disability among adults31.6%26.7–37.0
Hearing disability among adults9.7%8.4–11.2
Independent living disability among adults8.2%6.7–9.8
Mobility disability among adults15.5%12.5–18.8
Self-care disability among adults3.9%3.1–4.7
Vision disability among adults4.9%4.1–5.9
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults19.8%16.2–23.8
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults11.7%8.5–15.4
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults9.4%6.6–12.4
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults8.8%6.7–11.1
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults6.4%5.1–7.8
Loneliness among adults29.4%24.3–35.0
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.4%5.0–7.9
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NE median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate9.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,3648.0% (2.6–16.7%) n=578
Uninsured 18–640.0%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,2868.4% (1.6–20.4%) n=579
No HS diploma (25+)4.1%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5055.2% (1.5–11.9%) n=578
Bachelor's or higher (25+)11.0%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50524.4% (12.1–39.7%) n=578
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2741.4% (0.0–5.8%) n=579
Households without a vehicle0.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.1% (0.0–7.6%) n=578
Broadband subscription76.0%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32287.6% (75.9–96.3%) n=578
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)52.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.5% (7.6–30.4%) n=578
Homeownership rate86.0%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32280.5% (61.0–93.2%) n=578
Crowded housing (>1 per room)0.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.7% (0.0–4.6%) n=578
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.1% (0.0–8.3%) n=579
Single-parent households93.9%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08757.2% (42.6–77.1%) n=577
Population 65+68.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55321.2% (11.4–34.7%) n=579
Median age69.9 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29242.3 yr (33.0–56.3) n=577
Median household income—$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$73,386 ($53,469–$103,625) n=556
Median home value$183,600$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$168,400 ($90,000–$306,740) n=533
Median gross rent—$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 unavailable for this ZIP — fewer than 80% of the census tracts that make it up could be matched across the 2010→2020 tract-boundary revision, so no value is published rather than an unreliable one. See how coverage gaps are handled.
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