ZIP code
79738
in Gail, TexasPopulation 353
53.07/ 100
Ranked #11,980 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 37%)
Ranked #362 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (top 19%)
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.
Nitrate in drinking water
22.6%
in the top 2.0% 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 ›Slow internet speeds
3.8%
in the top 3.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Dry extreme heat
84.5 days/year
in the top 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST56thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
16.3 mi
in the top 4.7% 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 ›Distance to an emergency room
19.6 mi
in the top 5.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
6.9%
in the bottom 6.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Crowded housing
6.9%
in the top 8.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS91stDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›Industrial-pollution burden
in the bottom 9.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST11thUS10thDefinition & 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 ›Walkability
2.5 intersections/sq mi
in the bottom 10.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST10thUS11thDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Short sleep
31.9%
in the bottom 20% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS20thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›The read
Gail, Texas (ZIP 79738) ranks in the top 37% healthiest ZIPs nationally (11,980th) and the top 19% of Texas (362nd), based on limited data; treat as directional.
On the ground here, a handful of readings tell most of the story: modeled nitrate lies in the top 2.0% nationally, and slow internet speeds is in the top 3.2% nationally. Modeled extreme heat registers in the top 4.3% nationally, and distance to a nursing home lies in the top 4.7% nationally. Distance to an emergency room is in the top 5.7% nationally, and crowded housing registers in the top 8.7% nationally. More positively, housing-cost burden lies in the bottom 6.4% nationally. Unemployment is at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs. Households without a vehicle registers at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled industrial-pollution burden lies in the bottom 9.8% nationally.
Against its neighbors, slow internet speeds runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, nitrate is a groundwater compound from fertilizer, manure, and sewage, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 79423, about 30 miles away.
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
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 73%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 65%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 89%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 69%
11%
Disability
healthier than 67%
7%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 46%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 49%
8%
Holding it back
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 4%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 6%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 62%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 65%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 82%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 88%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 85%
11%
Disability
healthier than 74%
7%
About typical
Mental Health
healthier than 50%
8%
Holding it back
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 15%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 4%
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
79331
Texasshares a border
Score 37.73
Closest healthier
79423
Texasabout 30 mi away
Score 55.10
Similar health profile
76250
Texas98% similar profile
Score 53.89
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 | 26.3% | 24.3–28.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.6% | 32.3–37.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 8.9% | 8.2–9.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.0% | 9.2–10.9 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.0% | 5.3–6.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.6% | 5.4–7.9 |
| Depression among adults | 23.6% | 21.5–25.9 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.4% | 10.2–12.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 37.8% | 35.5–40.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 33.6% | 29.6–38.0 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.2% | 2.8–3.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 8.2% | 7.4–9.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 12.1% | 9.6–14.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.4% | 75.4–79.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 75.8% | 73.5–78.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.5% | 85.7–89.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.5% | 64.4–68.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 70.9% | 69.2–72.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 73.7% | 70.3–77.1 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 17.6% | 15.9–19.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 12.5% | 10.1–15.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 24.4% | 21.0–28.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 31.9% | 29.3–34.6 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 18.7% | 16.0–21.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.5% | 14.8–18.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.2% | 11.7–14.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 13.7% | 11.7–15.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 29.9% | 26.3–33.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.0% | 6.2–7.7 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.6% | 6.5–9.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.9% | 11.7–16.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.5% | 2.9–4.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.6% | 3.9–5.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | TX median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 12.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 0.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 1.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 52.5% | 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 | 94.8% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 89.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 6.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 26.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 6.9% | 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 | 35.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 17.3% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 28.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $76,250 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | $105,000 | $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 unavailable for this ZIP — fewer than 80% of the census tracts that make it up could be matched across the 2010→2020 tract-boundary revision, so no value is published rather than an unreliable one. See how coverage gaps are handled. | |||
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