ZIP code
79834
in Big Bend National Park, TexasPopulation 331
57.25/ 100
Ranked #7,017 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 22%)
Ranked #211 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (top 11.3%)
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.
Distance to a nursing home
106.9 mi
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
89.5 mi
in the top 0.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Distance to an emergency room
74.2 mi
in the top 0.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Walkability
0.26 intersections/sq mi
in the bottom 0.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Homeownership rate
1.6%
in the bottom 1.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
171.8 mi
in the top 1.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Binge drinking
21.7%
in the top 2.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.
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 ›Transportation noise
0.01%
in the bottom 5.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS5thDefinition & 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 ›Slow internet speeds
2.1%
in the top 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS94thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›The read
Overall, Big Bend National Park, Texas (ZIP 79834) lands in the top 22% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,017th) and the top 11.3% of Texas (211th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
The signals balance out across the profile, strengths against concerns: distance to a hazardous-chemical facility rests in the top 0.4% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site stands in the top 1.4% nationally. Housing-cost burden lies at the national minimum, and modeled transportation noise lands in the bottom 5.4% nationally. Set against that, distance to a nursing home sits in the top 0.3% nationally, distance to an emergency room is in the top 0.5% nationally, and walkability settles in the bottom 0.6% nationally. Homeownership resides in the bottom 1.0% nationally, modeled binge drinking registers in the top 2.1% nationally, and slow internet speeds rests in the top 5.6% nationally.
Set beside the nearby areas, distance to a nursing home runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. A note on the terms: 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. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. For a healthier nearby comparison, ZIP 79852, just across the boundary, ranks better 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.
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 95%
21%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.00%
14%
Disability
healthier than 89%
7%
About typical
Risk Behavior
healthier than 48%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 55%
8%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 40%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 36%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 13%
13%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.3%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 91%
21%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.00%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 68%
11%
Disability
healthier than 88%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.7%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 46%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 59%
8%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 28%
16%
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
79830
Texasshares a border
Score 56.56
Closest healthier
79852
Texasshares a border
Score 57.44
Similar health profile
99755
Alaska95% similar profile
Score 51.60
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 | 19.2% | 16.4–22.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 28.3% | 24.3–32.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 6.5% | 5.8–7.2 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.2% | 8.0–10.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 4.5% | 3.8–5.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 4.6% | 3.5–5.8 |
| Depression among adults | 23.1% | 19.4–26.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 8.4% | 6.9–10.0 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 32.2% | 27.8–36.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 32.5% | 24.3–41.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 2.3% | 1.9–2.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 5.8% | 4.6–7.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 12.9% | 9.6–16.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 70.0% | 66.3–73.4 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 71.2% | 66.9–75.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.8% | 83.1–88.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 59.8% | 55.2–64.6 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 63.2% | 59.8–66.8 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 72.6% | 64.7–79.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 21.7% | 17.9–25.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 11.4% | 8.0–15.3 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 20.2% | 15.4–25.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 34.9% | 28.4–42.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 15.5% | 12.2–19.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.2% | 13.5–19.0 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 10.8% | 8.8–13.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.8% | 10.2–16.0 |
| Any disability among adults | 25.1% | 20.4–30.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 5.5% | 4.7–6.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.2% | 4.9–7.7 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 9.5% | 7.5–11.6 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 2.6% | 2.1–3.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 3.6% | 2.9–4.3 |
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 | 0.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 22.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 1.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 12.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 87.1% | 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 | 98.4% | 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 | 1.6% | 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 | 4.5% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 8.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886 |
| Single-parent households | 63.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861 |
| Population 65+ | 6.3% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 16.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886 |
| Median age | 30.0 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 38.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866 |
| Median household income | $49,617 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737 |
| Median home value | — | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693 |
| Median gross rent | $834 | $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 | 87.8 yr ± 3.50 | 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 3.50 years of 87.8, 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