ZIP code
79355
in Plains, TexasPopulation 1,660
41.81/ 100
Ranked #25,386 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 21%)
Ranked #1,315 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 30%)
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)
25.9%
in the top 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Arsenic in groundwater
50%
in the top 0.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Fatal road crashes
72.3 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 1.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›Crowded housing
18.1%
in the top 1.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›Nitrate in drinking water
27.1%
in the top 1.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS98thDefinition & 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 ›Lithium in drinking water
88 µg/L
in the top 3.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The average detected level of lithium — a natural trace metal with no federal drinking-water limit yet — across the public water systems serving this ZIP, in micrograms per liter.
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 ›Housing-cost burden
6.5%
in the bottom 6.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
21.4 mi
in the top 7.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS93rdDefinition & 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 ›Vision disability
8.8%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.
Full methodology ›Unemployment rate
11.1%
in the top 7.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›The read
Plains, Texas (ZIP 79355), in overall standing, comes out in the bottom 21% nationally (25,386th) and the bottom 30% of Texas (1,315th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
The profile carries real weight, and several readings make that plain: modeled uninsured settles in the top 2.0% nationally, modeled arsenic lands in the top 0.7% nationally, and fatal road crashes rests in the top 1.3% nationally. Crowded housing settles in the top 1.5% nationally, modeled nitrate lands in the top 1.8% nationally, and lithium in drinking water rests in the top 3.5% nationally. Distance to a community health center settles in the top 7.5% nationally, and modeled vision disability lands in the top 8.3% nationally. Unemployment rests in the top 7.7% nationally. Better still, housing-cost burden settles in the bottom 6.0% nationally.
Defined simply, for reference, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Nitrate is a groundwater compound from fertilizer, manure, and sewage, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Lithium in drinking water is a natural metal that dissolves into some groundwater and has no federal drinking-water limit yet. The closest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 79323, 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 61%
14%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 46%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 50%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 46%
8%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 6%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 19%
11%
Disability
healthier than 15%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 20%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 8%
5%
Lifting this score
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 93%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 47%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 41%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 45%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 33%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 23%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 29%
11%
Disability
healthier than 17%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 6%
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
79323
Texasshares a border
Score 48.17
Closest healthier
79359
Texasshares a border
Score 44.23
Similar health profile
77419
Texas98% similar profile
Score 40.92
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 | 26.4% | 23.3–29.8 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 38.5% | 34.4–42.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 7.0% | 6.3–7.8 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.7% | 8.6–11.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.1% | 7.2–9.0 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.2% | 7.1–9.3 |
| Depression among adults | 22.2% | 18.8–25.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 17.0% | 14.9–19.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.0% | 34.5–43.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 40.6% | 31.9–50.0 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.3% | 3.8–4.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 12.1% | 9.8–14.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 25.9% | 21.6–30.2 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.0% | 74.1–79.7 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 73.9% | 69.7–77.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 83.7% | 81.4–85.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 57.9% | 52.3–63.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 52.0% | 48.2–55.8 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 68.5% | 59.4–76.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.7% | 12.8–18.9 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.8% | 13.4–18.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 36.0% | 30.5–41.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 37.9% | 30.7–45.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 29.5% | 25.8–33.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.9% | 15.9–20.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.1% | 15.1–19.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 18.0% | 15.7–20.4 |
| Any disability among adults | 39.0% | 34.2–44.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.0% | 8.0–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.7% | 9.4–12.1 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.9% | 17.3–22.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 5.9% | 5.2–6.6 |
| Vision disability among adults | 8.8% | 7.8–9.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 17.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 32.3% | 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+) | 12.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 11.1% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.2% (0.0–9.4%) n=1,865 |
| Households without a vehicle | 2.3% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.8%) n=1,868 |
| Broadband subscription | 96.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 6.5% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 18.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 3.1% (0.0–9.0%) n=1,868 |
| Foreign-born population | 19.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886 |
| Single-parent households | 39.3% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 14.3% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 36.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $76,967 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $143,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693 |
| Median gross rent | $883 | $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 | 78.8 yr ± 1.09 | 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 1.09 years of 78.8, 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