ZIP code
81235
in Lake City, ColoradoPopulation 912
62.44/ 100
Ranked #3,267 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 10.2%)
Ranked #109 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (top 22%)
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.
Air-toxics cancer risk
9 per million
in the bottom 0.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Humid extreme heat
0.6 days/year
in the bottom 0.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST6thUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Civic-institution access
2.7 per 1,000 residents
in the top 0.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Recreation access
2.7 per 1,000 residents
in the top 0.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST98thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of places for physical recreation — gyms, sports, and fitness venues — 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 ›Child-care access
1.4 per 1,000 residents
in the top 1.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The number of child day-care services 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 ›Park land
57.2%
in the top 1.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST87thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.
Full methodology ›Distance to a nursing home
27.2 mi
in the top 1.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
28.2 mi
in the top 2.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
26.8 mi
in the top 2.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST94thUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Obesity
24.2%
in the bottom 4.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST25thUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.
Full methodology ›The read
Lake City, Colorado (ZIP 81235) ranks in the top 10.2% healthiest ZIPs nationally (3,267th) and the top 22% of Colorado (109th).
A balanced set of signals defines this area, not any single one: modeled air-toxics cancer risk registers in the bottom 0.4% nationally, and humid heat lies in the bottom 0.5% nationally. Civic is in the top 0.6% nationally, and recreation registers in the top 0.7% nationally. Childcare lies in the top 1.0% nationally, park land is in the top 1.9% nationally, and distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 2.6% nationally. Modeled obesity lies in the bottom 4.4% nationally. By contrast, distance to a nursing home is in the top 1.9% nationally, and distance to an emergency room registers in the top 2.2% nationally.
Against its neighbors, civic runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, 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. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 81432, 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
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 65%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 91%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 84%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 98%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 88%
8%
Disability
healthier than 85%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
in the top 0.6%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 52%
16%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 4%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 86%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 98%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 92%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 97%
8%
Disability
healthier than 65%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 89%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 30%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 33%
16%
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
81130
Coloradoshares a border
Score 59.72
Closest healthier
81432
Coloradoshares a border
Score 62.46
Similar health profile
80425
Colorado99% similar profile
Score 64.02
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 | 31.9% | 28.1–35.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 33.6% | 29.4–37.8 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 12.9% | 11.8–14.2 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.8% | 9.5–12.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.2% | 6.3–8.2 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.2% | 5.1–7.3 |
| Depression among adults | 21.0% | 17.8–24.3 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 9.8% | 8.4–11.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 38.3% | 33.8–42.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 24.2% | 18.0–31.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.4% | 3.1–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 8.3% | 6.6–10.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 5.4% | 4.4–6.6 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.7% | 74.3–80.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.9% | 74.5–81.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 91.6% | 90.2–92.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 72.0% | 67.4–76.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 71.5% | 68.3–74.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 74.4% | 71.0–77.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.4% | 12.8–18.3 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 9.1% | 7.2–11.0 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 14.8% | 11.7–17.9 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 28.0% | 22.2–34.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 13.2% | 11.1–15.4 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 13.0% | 11.3–14.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 12.1% | 10.4–13.7 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 10.4% | 8.9–11.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 26.2% | 22.2–30.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.3% | 7.3–9.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 5.6% | 4.8–6.5 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 11.4% | 9.6–13.4 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 2.8% | 2.4–3.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 3.3% | 2.9–3.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 4.5% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 16.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 0.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 49.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 1.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 95.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 27.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.4% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 2.4% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.1% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 45.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 25.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 43.9 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $465,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $1,171 | $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 | 81.4 yr ± 1.30 | 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 1.30 years of 81.4, 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