ZIP code
79503
in Avoca, TexasPopulation 202
32.20/ 100
Ranked #30,266 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 5.7%)
Ranked #1,789 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 4.3%)
Ranked #23 of 24 Abilene, TX ZIPs (bottom 4.2%)
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.
Mammography
64.2%
in the bottom 2.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST2ndUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Nitrate in drinking water
31.1%
in the top 1.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS98thDefinition & 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 ›Dry extreme heat
97.2 days/year
in the top 1.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS98thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
113.1 mi
in the top 3.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS4thDefinition & 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 ›Housing-cost burden
4.6%
in the bottom 4.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS5thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
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 ›Tooth loss
25.3%
in the top 6.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Slow internet speeds
1.9%
in the top 6.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS94thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›The read
Avoca, Texas (ZIP 79503), overall, ranks in the bottom 5.7% nationally (30,266th) and the bottom 4.3% of Texas (1,789th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Reading across the data, the real pressures come first: modeled mammography lies in the bottom 2.2% nationally, nitrate stands in the top 1.6% nationally, and extreme heat rests in the top 1.6% nationally. PFAS in drinking water registers at the national maximum, modeled tooth loss resides in the top 6.9% nationally, and slow internet speeds settles in the top 6.3% nationally. More encouragingly, modeled transportation noise is at the national minimum, and distance to a Superfund site sits in the top 3.0% nationally. Modeled industrial-pollution burden lands in the bottom 4.3% nationally, and housing-cost burden lies in the bottom 4.9% nationally.
Defined simply, 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. Industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. ZIP 79501, just across the boundary, comes out healthier overall.
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 Abilene, TX 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%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 10%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 24%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 11%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 12%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 11%
8%
Disability
healthier than 8%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 1%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 8%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 75%
14%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 3%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 15%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 38%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 19%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 3%
8%
Disability
healthier than 9%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 4%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 6%
5%
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
in the bottom 0.00%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 19%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 2%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 22%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the bottom 0.00%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 4%
8%
Disability
in the bottom 0.00%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the bottom 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.00%
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
79501
Texasshares a border
Score 44.06
Closest healthier
79521
Texasshares a border
Score 43.84
Similar health profile
75656
Texas100% similar profile
Score 34.40
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 | 33.2% | 29.6–37.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 43.5% | 39.0–48.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.5% | 8.5–10.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.3% | 9.9–12.8 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 10.1% | 8.9–11.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 12.6% | 10.6–14.8 |
| Depression among adults | 26.5% | 22.8–30.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 17.1% | 14.8–19.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.5% | 36.9–46.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 39.7% | 31.1–49.2 |
| Stroke among adults | 5.4% | 4.7–6.0 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 25.3% | 21.1–29.8 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 14.6% | 11.6–18.0 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.2% | 77.4–82.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 76.4% | 72.8–80.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 84.6% | 82.4–86.6 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 59.9% | 54.1–65.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 50.7% | 46.7–54.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 64.2% | 54.6–73.3 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.1% | 12.5–18.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 21.0% | 17.2–25.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 34.4% | 28.7–40.6 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 37.7% | 30.5–45.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 29.1% | 25.0–33.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 20.2% | 17.8–22.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 18.8% | 16.3–21.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 19.1% | 16.4–22.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 41.2% | 36.1–46.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.6% | 9.3–12.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 12.7% | 10.9–14.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 22.6% | 19.4–26.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.5% | 5.5–7.6 |
| Vision disability among adults | 8.1% | 6.9–9.4 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 4.5% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 9.9% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.8% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 31.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 21.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.3% | 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 | 94.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 4.6% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 89.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 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 | 56.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 22.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 42.8 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $98,697 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $114,000 | $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 | 75.3 yr ± 1.43 | 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 1.43 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