ZIP code
81101
in Alamosa, ColoradoPopulation 15,550
51.90/ 100
Ranked #13,581 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 42%)
Ranked #314 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (bottom 37%)
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.
Arsenic in groundwater
50%
in the top 0.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Outpatient-care access
0.77 per 1,000 residents
in the top 3.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST94thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of outpatient clinics located 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 ›Uninsured (under 65)
18.4%
in the top 6.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
10 per million
in the bottom 5.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST32ndUS5thDefinition & 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 ›Slow internet speeds
2.3%
in the top 5.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›Mental-health provider access
0.13 per 1,000 residents
in the top 8.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The number of mental-health clinics located 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 ›Mammography
68.5%
in the bottom 8.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST37thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
0.00%
in the bottom 9.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST35thUS10thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›High cholesterol
32.8%
in the bottom 8.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST36thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.
Full methodology ›Vision disability
7.2%
in the top 18% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS82ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.
Full methodology ›The read
Judged by its overall standing, Alamosa, Colorado (ZIP 81101) sits in the top 42% healthiest ZIPs nationally (13,581st) and the bottom 37% of Colorado (314th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
A balanced showing across the data, with a few readings each side: outpatient lands in the top 3.4% nationally, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk rests in the bottom 5.0% nationally. Distance to an emergency room settles at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Mental-health providers lands in the top 8.1% nationally. Distance to a community health center rests at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. On the other hand, modeled arsenic settles in the top 0.7% nationally, and uninsured lands in the top 6.0% nationally. Slow internet speeds rests in the top 5.0% nationally, and modeled mammography settles in the bottom 8.8% nationally. Modeled tree cover lands in the bottom 9.7% nationally.
Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 81124, about 4.5 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 75%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 85%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 74%
11%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 97%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 48%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 45%
8%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 6%
13%
Disability
healthier than 32%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 81%
14%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 66%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 41%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 28%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 11%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 29%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 26%
8%
Disability
healthier than 9%
7%
“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 ›
Findings that name this ZIP
One of our published findings lists this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.
Below its nearby ZIPs
The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors
Estimated life expectancy is 76.5 ± 1.4 years. The 49 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 81.2 years — 4.7 years below them.
Ranked #3,294 of the 3,687 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above the nearby-ZIP average, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
81123
Coloradoshares a border
Score 46.25
Closest healthier
81124
Coloradoabout 4.5 mi away
Score 53.94
Similar health profile
93436
California96% similar profile
Score 51.67
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 | 24.9% | 22.0–28.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 30.2% | 26.4–34.2 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 7.0% | 6.4–7.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.1% | 9.8–12.5 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.5% | 5.9–7.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.9% | 6.1–7.7 |
| Depression among adults | 22.5% | 19.1–26.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.9% | 10.3–13.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 32.8% | 28.7–37.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 31.1% | 24.0–39.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.5% | 3.3–3.8 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 12.8% | 10.3–15.6 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 18.4% | 16.0–21.1 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 71.6% | 68.3–74.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 70.1% | 65.8–74.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 82.1% | 79.8–84.1 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 61.1% | 55.6–66.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 56.8% | 52.9–60.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 68.5% | 59.0–76.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.9% | 13.0–19.2 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 13.4% | 11.6–15.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 24.4% | 20.4–28.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.1% | 25.6–39.1 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.5% | 19.8–25.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.8% | 15.9–19.9 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.2% | 13.5–17.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 17.7% | 15.8–19.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 34.2% | 29.9–38.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.9% | 7.1–8.9 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 9.4% | 8.4–10.5 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.9% | 13.1–16.9 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 7.2% | 6.5–7.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 18.1% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 8.1% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 11.8% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 32.4% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 3.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 8.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 92.0% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 30.7% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 3.3% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 5.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 43.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 14.9% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 33.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $54,844 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $240,400 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $912 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,534 ($828–$2,196) n=401 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.5 yr ± 0.70 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.4 yr (76.8–83.2) n=466 |
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 0.70 years of 76.5, 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