ZIP code
78879
in Rio Frio, TexasPopulation 184
41.95/ 100
Ranked #25,248 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 21%)
Ranked #1,297 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 31%)
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.
Crowded housing
21.1%
in the top 1.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
26.8 mi
in the top 2.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Uninsured (under 65)
19.8%
in the top 4.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST66thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
100%
at the national maximum
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
21.6 mi
in the top 4.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Diabetes
18.9%
in the top 5.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
15.5 mi
in the top 5.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Dry extreme heat
76.5 days/year
in the top 5.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST46thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›The read
Rio Frio, Texas (ZIP 78879), on the composite measure, lands in the bottom 21% nationally (25,248th) and the bottom 31% of Texas (1,297th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
What the numbers press hardest on defines much of the story here: crowded housing registers in the top 1.1% nationally, distance to an emergency room lands in the top 2.6% nationally, and modeled uninsured resides in the top 4.7% nationally. Modeled diabetes lies in the top 5.8% nationally, distance to a nursing home settles in the top 5.1% nationally, and modeled extreme heat stands in the top 5.3% nationally. On the encouraging side, housing-cost burden is at the national minimum, and poverty rests at the national minimum. Home broadband subscription sits at the national maximum, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 4.2% nationally.
Set against the neighboring ZIPs, crowded housing runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In everyday language, 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. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. A healthier neighbor overall sits at ZIP 78838, 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.
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 71%
16%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.3%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 66%
8%
About typical
Risk Behavior
healthier than 44%
11%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 11%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 19%
13%
Disability
healthier than 13%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 1%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 18%
5%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 72%
16%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.00%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 62%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 72%
8%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 59%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 4%
21%
Disability
healthier than 14%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 4%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 20%
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
78838
Texasshares a border
Score 43.15
Closest healthier
78881
Texasshares a border
Score 43.87
Similar health profile
78164
Texas98% similar profile
Score 44.02
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 | 34.8% | 31.3–38.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 46.1% | 41.8–49.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.8% | 9.8–11.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.9% | 8.9–11.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 10.7% | 9.5–12.0 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.1% | 9.3–13.1 |
| Depression among adults | 21.9% | 18.9–25.0 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 18.9% | 16.7–21.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 44.5% | 40.1–48.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 37.7% | 29.9–45.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 5.5% | 4.8–6.2 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 15.7% | 13.4–18.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 19.8% | 16.6–23.7 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 83.2% | 80.9–85.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 78.7% | 75.6–81.5 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.7% | 86.0–89.2 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 61.2% | 56.3–65.6 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 50.6% | 47.2–53.9 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 70.4% | 65.8–74.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.1% | 11.0–15.4 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.6% | 12.9–18.4 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 34.7% | 29.8–39.9 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 36.2% | 30.2–42.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 28.4% | 24.7–32.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.9% | 14.1–17.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.7% | 15.5–20.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.7% | 13.7–17.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 40.3% | 35.7–45.0 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 11.4% | 10.1–12.6 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.5% | 9.0–12.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 22.8% | 19.8–26.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.9% | 5.1–6.8 |
| Vision disability among adults | 8.1% | 7.1–9.2 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 0.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 21.7% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 0.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 53.2% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.4%) n=1,865 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.8%) n=1,868 |
| Broadband subscription | 100.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 0.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 21.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 3.1% (0.0–9.0%) n=1,868 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886 |
| Single-parent households | 78.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 37.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 60.0 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $101,484 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $1,046,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693 |
| Median gross rent | — | $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 | 78.3 yr ± 0.71 | 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 0.71 years of 78.3, 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