ZIP code
79248
in Paducah, TexasPopulation 1,273
34.98/ 100
Ranked #29,402 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 8.4%)
Ranked #1,730 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 7.4%)
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.
Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 0.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Nitrate in drinking water
49.7%
in the top 0.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of this area’s domestic-well groundwater at or above the federal nitrate limit of 10 milligrams 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 ›Elder-services access
0.73 per 1,000 residents
in the top 1.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of services for older adults and people with disabilities inside this ZIP’s boundary, per 1,000 residents.
Counted from establishments located inside this ZIP’s boundary, so one just across the line is not counted. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the density to be reliable, no value is published rather than an unreliable one.
Full methodology ›Dry extreme heat
90.3 days/year
in the top 2.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST74thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›Uninsured (under 65)
19%
in the top 5.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST63rdUS95thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
30.7 mi
in the top 3.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS96thDefinition & 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 Superfund site
90.3 mi
in the top 4.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST95thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Unemployment rate
14.0%
in the top 4.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Mobility disability
23%
in the top 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
70.6%
in the bottom 6.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST7thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Cross-source signals
Health need and barriers to care documented here
On our reading, this ZIP code carries the overlap at its acute level: acute means at least three of the six health-need readings and at least three of the six access barriers apply to the same place.
These are two separate readings of public data that both apply to this place — never a claim that one causes the other, never a severity score, and never a statement about any person who lives here.
Health need documented here
- People without health insurance
- Adults reporting fair or poor health
- Chronic conditions
Barriers to reaching care
- Distance to the nearest community health center
- Thin local supply of doctors
- Thin local supply of pharmacies
A reading appears below only where this ZIP code is among the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on it — one national bar, the same for every ZIP in the country.
See the full care-deserts analysis →The read
Paducah, Texas (ZIP 79248), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 8.4% nationally (29,402nd) and the bottom 7.4% of Texas (1,730th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Here the data is straightforward about what defines the area: modeled nitrate settles in the top 0.9% nationally, extreme heat lands in the top 2.9% nationally, and uninsured rests in the top 5.4% nationally. Distance to a community health center settles in the top 3.9% nationally, unemployment lands in the top 4.5% nationally, and modeled mobility disability rests in the top 6.8% nationally. Home broadband subscription settles in the bottom 6.5% nationally. Better still, modeled industrial-pollution burden lands in the bottom 0.7% nationally, and elder services rests in the top 1.4% nationally. Distance to a Superfund site settles in the top 4.2% nationally.
Set within its surrounding area, elder services runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, for reference, industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Nitrate is a groundwater compound from fertilizer, manure, and sewage, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 79201, 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
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 94%
14%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 12%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 17%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 14%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 21%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 38%
8%
Disability
healthier than 8%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 2%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 3%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 90%
14%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 46%
13%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 4%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 8%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 33%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 32%
8%
Disability
healthier than 9%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 5%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.9%
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
79201
Texasshares a border
Score 44.91
Closest healthier
79220
Texasshares a border
Score 39.33
Similar health profile
73441
Oklahoma99% similar profile
Score 35.07
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 | 33.3% | 29.8–36.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 44.6% | 40.2–48.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.0% | 9.1–11.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.8% | 9.5–12.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 10.4% | 9.1–11.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 11.5% | 9.7–13.3 |
| Depression among adults | 23.5% | 20.2–27.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 17.8% | 15.5–20.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 42.2% | 37.8–46.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.7% | 31.5–48.2 |
| Stroke among adults | 5.5% | 4.8–6.1 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 17.3% | 14.3–20.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 19.0% | 16.0–22.3 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 81.1% | 78.6–83.4 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.6% | 74.1–80.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.3% | 84.3–88.1 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 59.9% | 54.8–64.9 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 46.9% | 43.3–50.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 70.1% | 64.0–75.7 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.8% | 11.4–16.6 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.7% | 14.9–20.8 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 35.0% | 29.5–40.4 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 39.1% | 32.4–46.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 29.6% | 25.7–33.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.9% | 15.8–20.1 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 18.3% | 15.9–20.7 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 17.7% | 15.5–20.1 |
| Any disability among adults | 41.3% | 36.3–46.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 11.1% | 9.8–12.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 12.1% | 10.5–13.8 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 23.0% | 19.8–26.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.4% | 5.6–7.3 |
| Vision disability among adults | 8.5% | 7.5–9.6 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 18.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 22.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 20.7% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 23.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 14.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.4%) n=1,865 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.8%) n=1,868 |
| Broadband subscription | 70.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 24.5% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.8% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.5% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 3.1% (0.0–9.0%) n=1,868 |
| Foreign-born population | 2.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886 |
| Single-parent households | 58.3% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 24.4% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 45.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $49,028 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $55,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693 |
| Median gross rent | $264 | $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 | 80.1 yr ± 1.72 | 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 1.72 years of 80.1, 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