ZIP code
81212
in Cañon City, ColoradoPopulation 32,292
49.08/ 100
Ranked #17,551 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 45%)
Ranked #385 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (bottom 23%)
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.
Natural-disaster risk
in the top 0.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
In this ZIP
at the national minimum
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Air-toxics cancer risk
10 per million
in the bottom 2.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST17thUS3rdDefinition & 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 ›Radon
3.3 pCi/L
in the top 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The modeled typical indoor radon level for this area, in picocuries per liter — the EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above.
Modeled from indoor-radon measurements. In Alaska and Hawaii, where those measurements are not published, a US Geological Survey geologic radon-potential category stands in — a coarser input, disclosed rather than hidden.
Full methodology ›Subsidized affordable housing
334 units
in the top 7.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The number of affordable rental units in this ZIP supported by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Full methodology ›Mammography
68.7%
in the bottom 9.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST40thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
42.9%
in the top 19% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS81stDefinition & source ›
The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.
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 ›The read
On the composite measure, Cañon City, Colorado (ZIP 81212) stands in the bottom 45% nationally (17,551st) and the bottom 23% of Colorado (385th).
Several readings make the pressure on this area plain: modeled disaster risk registers in the top 0.4% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site lies at the national minimum. Modeled radon is in the top 6.8% nationally, and mammography registers in the bottom 9.4% nationally. On the encouraging side, modeled air-toxics cancer risk lies in the bottom 2.8% nationally. Distance to an emergency room is at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Subsidized affordable housing registers in the top 7.3% nationally, and park land lies in the top 11.3% nationally. Distance to a community health center is at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Elder services registers in the top 12.1% nationally.
Set beside the wider area around it, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For clarity, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. ZIP 80449, 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.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 62%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 87%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 52%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 46%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 56%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 44%
8%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 11%
13%
Disability
healthier than 37%
7%
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 56%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 47%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 16%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 26%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 23%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 9%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 24%
8%
Disability
healthier than 12%
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
2 of our published findings list 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 what income predicts
The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes
Estimated life expectancy is 75.7 ± 1.2 years. A median household income of $64,235 predicts 78.3 years — 2.6 years below.
Ranked #3,613 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.
Below its nearby ZIPs
The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors
Estimated life expectancy is 75.7 ± 1.2 years. The 46 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 80.8 years — 5.0 years below them.
Ranked #3,389 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
80449
Coloradoshares a border
Score 54.69
Closest healthier
80816
Coloradoshares a border
Score 56.76
Similar health profile
81625
Colorado95% similar profile
Score 50.37
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 | 30.3% | 27.0–33.6 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 33.4% | 29.5–37.4 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.8% | 9.0–10.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.2% | 9.9–12.6 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.9% | 7.1–8.7 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.6–9.4 |
| Depression among adults | 23.6% | 20.2–27.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.7% | 10.1–13.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 35.3% | 31.3–39.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 30.8% | 24.5–37.5 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.1% | 3.8–4.4 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 16.0% | 13.0–19.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 13.9% | 12.1–15.7 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.6% | 71.3–77.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 72.3% | 68.4–75.9 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 84.2% | 82.4–85.8 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 62.0% | 56.7–66.9 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 56.1% | 52.3–59.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 68.7% | 60.2–76.3 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.3% | 13.5–19.4 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 16.0% | 13.9–18.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 23.4% | 19.6–27.5 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 35.0% | 29.0–41.2 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 21.4% | 18.9–24.0 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.1% | 15.2–19.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 15.7% | 13.9–17.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 16.4% | 14.7–18.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 34.6% | 30.5–38.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.1% | 8.1–10.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.9% | 8.0–9.9 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 15.6% | 13.7–17.5 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.4% | 4.0–4.7 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.8% | 5.3–6.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 13.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 10.8% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 8.7% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 22.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 5.3% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 85.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 29.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.0% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.7% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 2.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 66.0% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 23.6% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 44.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $64,235 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $329,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $1,097 | $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 | 75.7 yr ± 0.61 | 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 0.61 years of 75.7, 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