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ZIP code

79843

in Marfa, TexasPopulation 2,633

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

40.80/ 100

Ranked #26,191 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 18%)

Ranked #1,396 of 1,868 Texas ZIPs (bottom 25%)

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Broad coverage across health domains

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)

25.3%

in the top 2.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST80th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.

Full methodology ›

Distance to a nursing home

62.4 mi

in the top 0.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & 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

32.3 mi

in the top 1.7% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US98th
Definition & 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 ›

Industrial-pollution burden

in the bottom 2.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST3rd
US3rd
Definition & 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 ›

Distance to a Superfund site

107.7 mi

in the top 3.2% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US97th
Definition & 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 ›

Arsenic in groundwater

28.8%

in the top 3.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US97th
Definition & 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 ›

Walkability

1.3 intersections/sq mi

in the bottom 3.7% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST2nd
US4th
Definition & source ›

The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.

Full methodology ›

Vision disability

9.5%

in the top 6.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST86th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

10 per million

in the bottom 5.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US5th
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.

Full methodology ›

Civic-institution access

0.88 per 1,000 residents

in the top 5.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US95th
Definition & source ›

The number of civic and social organizations 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 ›

The read

On the composite measure, Marfa, Texas (ZIP 79843) stands in the bottom 18% nationally (26,191st) and the bottom 25% of Texas (1,396th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

A number of readings press hard on the profile and set its tone: modeled uninsured lies in the top 2.2% nationally, and distance to a nursing home is in the top 0.5% nationally. Modeled arsenic registers in the top 3.5% nationally, and walkability lies in the bottom 3.7% nationally. Modeled vision disability is in the top 6.0% nationally. On the brighter side, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 1.7% nationally, modeled industrial-pollution burden lies in the bottom 2.7% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site is in the top 3.2% nationally. Modeled air-toxics cancer risk registers in the bottom 5.0% nationally, and civic lies in the top 5.3% nationally.

For clarity, 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. Industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. ZIP 79734, just across the boundary, ranks better overall among the ZIPs nearby.

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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 98%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 66%

8%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 31%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 9%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 7%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 31%

11%

Disability

healthier than 12%

7%

Climate / Disaster RiskPartial

healthier than 26%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 3%

5%

Lifting this score

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 98%

14%

Mental Health

healthier than 71%

8%

Climate / Disaster RiskPartial

healthier than 97%

5%

About typical

Risk Behavior

healthier than 46%

11%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 18%

21%

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 3%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 28%

13%

Disability

healthier than 13%

7%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 1.0%

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.

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
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults28.1%24.8–31.8
High blood pressure among adults40.6%36.2–45.2
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults7.6%6.8–8.3
Current asthma among adults9.5%8.4–10.8
Coronary heart disease among adults8.8%7.7–9.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.3%7.1–9.7
Depression among adults21.1%17.7–24.7
Diagnosed diabetes among adults18.6%16.2–21.2
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened40.8%36.1–45.6
Obesity among adults40.1%31.1–49.5
Stroke among adults4.6%4.1–5.1
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years19.8%16.4–23.5
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years25.3%20.9–29.6
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure79.2%76.4–81.8
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults75.8%71.9–79.5
Cholesterol screening among adults85.6%83.6–87.6
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years56.5%50.9–62.0
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults50.9%47.1–54.5
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years68.8%59.9–76.9
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults14.5%11.8–17.5
Current cigarette smoking among adults15.0%12.6–17.7
No leisure-time physical activity among adults36.5%30.8–42.1
Short sleep duration among adults36.5%29.4–44.1
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults30.4%26.4–34.5
Frequent mental distress among adults16.5%14.4–18.6
Frequent physical distress among adults17.4%15.1–19.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults16.9%14.7–19.3
Any disability among adults39.2%34.1–44.4
Hearing disability among adults9.7%8.5–10.9
Independent living disability among adults10.7%9.1–12.3
Mobility disability among adults21.4%18.4–24.6
Self-care disability among adults6.3%5.4–7.1
Vision disability among adults9.5%8.3–10.8
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)TX median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate25.4%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36412.4% (3.5–26.4%) n=1,869
Uninsured 18–6431.2%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28622.3% (8.2–41.5%) n=1,862
No HS diploma (25+)20.1%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,50512.2% (2.5–30.0%) n=1,881
Bachelor's or higher (25+)35.6%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50521.9% (9.0–51.4%) n=1,881
Unemployment rate (16+)0.0%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2744.2% (0.0–9.4%) n=1,865
Households without a vehicle7.6%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3223.7% (0.0–10.8%) n=1,868
Broadband subscription77.4%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32289.2% (75.0–97.3%) n=1,868
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)40.7%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32226.2% (8.8–40.3%) n=1,868
Homeownership rate76.9%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32275.0% (46.4–92.3%) n=1,868
Crowded housing (>1 per room)5.7%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3223.1% (0.0–9.0%) n=1,868
Foreign-born population12.8%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5538.1% (0.1–26.4%) n=1,886
Single-parent households56.8%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08748.5% (34.3–70.6%) n=1,861
Population 65+26.2%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55316.1% (8.6–30.1%) n=1,886
Median age48.8 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29238.3 yr (30.9–52.3) n=1,866
Median household income$45,263$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$69,983 ($46,006–$112,413) n=1,737
Median home value$289,300$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$210,500 ($97,060–$429,760) n=1,693
Median gross rent$477$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$1,154 ($764–$1,815) n=1,508
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)TX median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth79.4 yr ± 1.2178.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30878.2 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 1.21 years of 79.4, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

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