ZIP code
81233
in Howard, ColoradoPopulation 966
46.82/ 100
Ranked #20,375 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 36%)
Ranked #434 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (bottom 13.6%)
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.
Poverty rate
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
27.1 mi
in the top 2.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
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 ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
25.8 mi
in the top 2.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Humid extreme heat
6 days/year
in the bottom 3.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST31stUS4thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
Full methodology ›Distance to a community health center
23.1 mi
in the top 6.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST93rdUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest federally funded community health center, which serves patients regardless of ability to pay.
Full methodology ›Energy-cost burden
5.1%
in the top 8.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.
A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.
Full methodology ›Hearing disability
10.8%
in the top 10.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS89thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing.
Full methodology ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
in the bottom 11.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS11thDefinition & source ›
FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
65.2%
in the top 11.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS88thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›The read
Judged by its overall standing, Howard, Colorado (ZIP 81233) sits in the bottom 36% nationally (20,375th) and the bottom 13.6% of Colorado (434th).
A few readings account for most of this area's strain: distance to an emergency room lands in the top 2.5% nationally, distance to a community health center rests in the top 6.6% nationally, and modeled energy burden settles in the top 8.4% nationally. Modeled hearing disability lands in the top 10.9% nationally. On the better side, poverty rests at the national minimum, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk settles in the bottom 2.8% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility lands in the top 2.8% nationally, and modeled humid heat rests in the bottom 3.8% nationally. Households without a vehicle settles at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. Modeled extreme heat lands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs.
Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. 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. Humid heat is a modeled heat-stress measure combining temperature, humidity, sun, and wind to gauge heat on the body outdoors. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 81201, just across the boundary.
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 93%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 80%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 97%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 52%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 55%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 15%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 11%
16%
Disability
healthier than 29%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 4%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 89%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 80%
13%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 69%
5%
About typical
Risk Behavior
healthier than 41%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 43%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 1%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 6%
16%
Disability
healthier than 6%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 6%
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
81201
Coloradoshares a border
Score 60.06
Closest healthier
81212
Coloradoshares a border
Score 49.08
Similar health profile
97877
Oregon95% similar profile
Score 43.25
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 | 37.9% | 33.9–41.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 38.9% | 34.6–43.1 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 12.8% | 11.5–14.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.7% | 10.3–13.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.9% | 8.6–11.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 10.5% | 8.7–12.6 |
| Depression among adults | 23.9% | 20.5–27.4 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.1% | 12.0–16.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 40.6% | 36.2–45.0 |
| Obesity among adults | 30.6% | 24.2–37.0 |
| Stroke among adults | 5.0% | 4.3–5.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 22.2% | 18.5–26.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.9% | 6.9–11.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.2% | 77.0–83.0 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.5% | 73.9–80.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 89.0% | 87.2–90.5 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 69.8% | 64.8–74.4 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.4% | 56.6–64.1 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 70.0% | 61.6–77.4 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.4% | 11.0–16.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.1% | 12.0–18.3 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 23.6% | 19.2–28.6 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.6% | 26.9–38.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 21.8% | 18.4–25.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.7% | 13.7–17.8 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.1% | 14.7–19.6 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 14.8% | 12.7–17.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 36.1% | 31.3–41.3 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 10.8% | 9.5–12.2 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 9.1% | 7.7–10.7 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 18.5% | 15.5–21.9 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.8% | 4.1–5.7 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.8% | 5.0–6.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 0.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 4.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.2% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 28.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.2% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 86.2% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 19.3% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 2.6% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 66.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 38.3% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 48.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $60,386 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $474,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | — | $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 | 81.3 yr ± 3.68 | 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 3.68 years of 81.3, 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