ZIP code
71968
in Royal, ArkansasPopulation 4,437
48.35/ 100
Ranked #18,476 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 42%)
Ranked #62 of 562 Arkansas ZIPs (top 11.1%)
Too few scored ZIPs in the Hot Springs, AR metro area to rank within it.
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.
Unemployment rate
20.2%
in the top 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Park land
39.2%
in the top 3.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST94thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.
Full methodology ›Arsenic in groundwater
1.2%
in the bottom 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST41stUS6thDefinition & 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, Royal, Arkansas (ZIP 71968) ranks in the bottom 42% nationally (18,476th) and the top 11.1% of Arkansas (62nd).
The measures split the difference for this area: park land settles in the top 3.4% nationally, and modeled arsenic lies in the bottom 5.6% nationally. Modeled tree cover resides in the top 11.0% nationally. Outer-floodplain exposure lands at the national minimum, shared with about 36% of ZIPs. Against that, unemployment registers in the top 2.0% nationally, home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 10.9% nationally, and fatal road crashes rests in the top 12.1% nationally. Modeled high blood pressure is in the top 16% nationally. Recreation stands at the national minimum, shared with about 35% of ZIPs. Physicians settles at the national minimum, shared with about 38% of ZIPs.
Compared with the ZIPs it borders, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plainer terms, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Outer-floodplain exposure is land with a lower but real 1-in-500 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "500-year floodplain". For a healthier nearby ZIP overall, look to ZIP 71949, 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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Hot Springs, AR metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 85%
14%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 48%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 53%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 51%
11%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 34%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 35%
8%
Disability
healthier than 35%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 24%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 70%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 73%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 73%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 87%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 86%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 79%
8%
Disability
healthier than 81%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 62%
5%
About typical
Healthcare Access
healthier than 46%
5%
Nothing measured is holding this score back.
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 67%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 83%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 83%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 83%
8%
Disability
healthier than 67%
7%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 50%
14%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 33%
16%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 17%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 17%
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 ›
Findings that name this ZIP
One of our published findings lists this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.
Clean environment, heavy chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 84.6; chronic-disease standing 33.6 — 51 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #2,415 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
71913
Arkansasshares a border
Score 44.39
Closest healthier
71949
Arkansasshares a border
Score 48.82
Similar health profile
29070
South Carolina96% similar profile
Score 49.08
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 | 32.6% | 29.2–35.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 43.9% | 39.7–47.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.2% | 9.3–11.2 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.1% | 8.9–11.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.5% | 7.5–9.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.9% | 7.6–10.1 |
| Depression among adults | 24.6% | 21.1–28.1 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 13.5% | 11.7–15.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.0% | 34.9–42.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 38.2% | 31.9–44.2 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.1% | 3.7–4.5 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.8% | 11.2–16.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.6% | 7.0–10.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.0% | 77.1–82.5 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 79.5% | 76.0–82.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.7% | 85.9–89.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 65.6% | 60.6–70.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.1% | 56.3–63.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 73.2% | 65.4–79.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.1% | 12.5–17.9 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.5% | 13.0–18.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 27.8% | 23.5–32.2 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.7% | 30.5–41.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.7% | 19.6–25.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.4% | 15.3–19.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.1% | 14.1–18.2 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.5% | 14.4–18.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 38.3% | 33.9–42.8 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.4% | 8.3–10.5 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.9% | 7.8–10.1 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 17.9% | 15.5–20.4 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.2% | 3.7–4.7 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.3% | 4.7–6.0 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 24.8% | 21.2–28.9 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 13.6% | 11.3–16.3 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 7.6% | 6.2–9.4 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 11.2% | 9.5–13.3 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 7.5% | 6.4–8.7 |
| Loneliness among adults | 33.0% | 28.3–38.2 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 7.9% | 6.8–9.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | AR median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 11.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 16.3% (4.0–30.6%) n=574 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 15.7% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 11.3% (1.5–24.1%) n=573 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 8.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.0% (3.7–23.0%) n=577 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 19.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 15.5% (4.4–30.5%) n=577 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 20.2% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.9% (0.0–11.6%) n=573 |
| Households without a vehicle | 1.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.1% (0.0–12.5%) n=574 |
| Broadband subscription | 75.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 83.2% (65.0–94.7%) n=574 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 17.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 20.4% (4.3–33.2%) n=574 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 77.6% (57.7–96.1%) n=574 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 2.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.3% (0.0–5.7%) n=574 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.5% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.8% (0.0–6.5%) n=578 |
| Single-parent households | 47.3% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 53.0% (35.3–79.3%) n=571 |
| Population 65+ | 20.5% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 19.7% (11.6–37.9%) n=578 |
| Median age | 44.5 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 42.6 yr (33.6–58.1) n=573 |
| Median household income | $75,592 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $53,893 ($36,003–$79,139) n=505 |
| Median home value | $215,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $128,200 ($73,260–$235,420) n=519 |
| Median gross rent | $1,080 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $800 ($568–$1,094) n=393 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | AR median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.3 yr ± 1.02 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 76.2 yr (73.4–79.7) n=580 |
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 1.02 years of 75.3, 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