ZIP code
77085
in Houston, TexasPopulation 16,513
41.75/ 100
Ranked #25,434 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 21%)
Ranked #1,320 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 29%)
Ranked #178 of 237 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX ZIPs (bottom 25%)
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.
Uninsured (under 65)
33.1%
in the top 0.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS99thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Colon-cancer screening
51.8%
in the bottom 2.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST9thUS3rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Vision disability
10.6%
in the top 3.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.
Full methodology ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the top 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS98thDefinition & source ›
The EPA’s modeled screening score for industrial chemical releases, weighting the amounts released by their toxicity and how many people live nearby — a relative comparison score, not a measured exposure.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
152.9 days/year
in the top 3.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST78thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Air-toxics cancer risk
40 per million
in the top 4.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Outer-floodplain exposure
7.8%
in the top 4.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST88thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.
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 ›PFAS in drinking water
100%
at the national maximum
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents served by public water systems where PFAS — man-made “forever chemicals” that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down — were detected in EPA testing.
Measured from EPA records for the public water systems that serve this ZIP. Households on private wells — roughly 30% of the US population — are not covered by this measure, and this figure says nothing about their water.
Full methodology ›Slow internet speeds
2.3%
in the top 5.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Fair or poor health
30.9%
in the top 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST86thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who rate their own general health as fair or poor.
Full methodology ›The read
ZIP 77085, one of several in Houston, Texas, by its overall standing, sits in the bottom 21% nationally (25,434th) and the bottom 29% of Texas (1,320th).
The data points to real strain across a number of measures here: modeled uninsured lands in the top 0.7% nationally, colon screening is in the bottom 2.8% nationally, and vision disability resides in the top 3.7% nationally. Modeled industrial-pollution burden rests in the top 2.0% nationally, humid heat lies in the top 3.9% nationally, and air-toxics cancer risk sits in the top 4.5% nationally. Outer-floodplain exposure settles in the top 4.9% nationally, and PFAS in drinking water registers at the national maximum. Slow internet speeds stands in the top 5.1% nationally, and modeled fair or poor health lands in the top 6.8% nationally.
Held up against its neighbors, outer-floodplain exposure runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined in plain terms, industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. PFAS in drinking water is the family of man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down. The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 77035, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 60%
21%
Mental Health
healthier than 61%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 77%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 45%
16%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 27%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 3%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 10%
11%
Disability
healthier than 12%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 20%
5%
Lifting this score
Mental Health
healthier than 66%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 93%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 72%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 48%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 40%
16%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 17%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 12%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 14%
11%
Disability
healthier than 13%
7%
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 89%
5%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 47%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 49%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 54%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 32%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 27%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 21%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 20%
11%
Disability
healthier than 16%
7%
“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.
Highest-risk tenth
Air toxics and the years between the two ends of the risk scale
Modeled air-toxics cancer risk is 40.0 cases per million — among the tenth of compared ZIP codes with the most. Estimated life expectancy is 77.6 ± 1.8 years.
Ranked #504 of the 4,173 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by modeled air-toxics risk, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
77035
Texasshares a border
Score 44.07
Closest healthier
77053
Texasshares a border
Score 41.84
Similar health profile
77088
Texas98% similar profile
Score 38.87
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 | 20.6% | 18.5–22.8 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 36.6% | 33.7–39.5 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 4.0% | 3.7–4.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.0% | 8.9–11.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.2% | 5.6–6.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.7% | 5.9–7.4 |
| Depression among adults | 19.1% | 16.8–21.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 17.3% | 15.5–19.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 36.1% | 33.0–39.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 42.6% | 38.2–47.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.3% | 3.9–4.6 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 19.4% | 16.5–22.5 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 33.1% | 29.1–37.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.8% | 72.0–77.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 72.4% | 69.1–75.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 80.8% | 78.6–82.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 51.8% | 47.9–55.7 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 44.6% | 41.6–47.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 71.0% | 64.9–76.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.1% | 12.9–17.4 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.8% | 13.7–18.0 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 36.0% | 32.0–40.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 43.2% | 39.6–46.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 30.9% | 27.8–34.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.4% | 16.5–20.3 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.1% | 14.4–18.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 20.2% | 18.1–22.4 |
| Any disability among adults | 38.9% | 35.1–42.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 6.2% | 5.6–7.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 11.5% | 10.2–12.8 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.3% | 17.3–21.4 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.7% | 6.1–7.4 |
| Vision disability among adults | 10.6% | 9.6–11.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 17.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 36.6% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 36.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 15.2% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 6.1% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.4%) n=1,865 |
| Households without a vehicle | 4.5% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.8%) n=1,868 |
| Broadband subscription | 89.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 32.3% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.4% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 4.7% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 3.1% (0.0–9.0%) n=1,868 |
| Foreign-born population | 33.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886 |
| Single-parent households | 44.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 15.5% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 40.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $68,470 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $191,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693 |
| Median gross rent | $1,338 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,154 ($764–$1,815) n=1,508 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.6 yr ± 0.92 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 78.2 yr (75.1–81.7) n=1,772 |
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 0.92 years of 77.6, 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