ZIP code
81326
in Hesperus, ColoradoPopulation 2,621
59.46/ 100
Ranked #5,239 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 16%)
Ranked #173 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (top 34%)
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.
Humid extreme heat
0.9 days/year
in the bottom 0.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Obesity
20.9%
in the bottom 1.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS1stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
7.3%
in the bottom 3.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST4thUS4thDefinition & 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 ›Short sleep
28%
in the bottom 3.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST21stUS3rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
10.6 per million
in the bottom 5.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST36thUS5thDefinition & 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 ›Walkability
1.9 intersections/sq mi
in the bottom 6.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST31stUS7thDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
34.3 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 10.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST85thUS90thDefinition & source ›
The annual rate of fatal road crashes per 100,000 residents, pooled over a ten-year window.
A rate per resident population. Where a ZIP has too few residents for the rate to be reliable — about 30% of US ZIPs — no value is published rather than an unstable one; those ZIPs are absent from this comparison, not counted as crash-free.
Full methodology ›The read
Hesperus, Colorado (ZIP 81326), by its overall standing, sits in the top 16% healthiest ZIPs nationally (5,239th) and the top 34% of Colorado (173rd).
Both sides of the picture show up plainly in this area's numbers: modeled humid heat rests in the bottom 0.6% nationally, obesity lies in the bottom 1.3% nationally, and pfas sits in the bottom 3.9% nationally. Modeled short sleep settles in the bottom 3.1% nationally, and air-toxics cancer risk registers in the bottom 5.5% nationally. Modeled extreme heat stands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Floodplain exposure lands in the bottom 12.7% nationally. By contrast, walkability is in the bottom 6.9% nationally, and fatal road crashes resides in the top 10.0% nationally. Modeled disaster risk rests in the top 14.1% nationally.
Held up against its neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined in plain terms, pfas is the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down; here a modeled estimate of the chance a private well contains them. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. The nearest ZIP ranking healthier overall is ZIP 81301, 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 75%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 96%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 91%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 72%
8%
Disability
healthier than 69%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
in the top 0.7%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 42%
13%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 57%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 39%
16%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 93%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 74%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 69%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 73%
8%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 86%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 61%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 40%
21%
Disability
healthier than 43%
7%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 21%
16%
“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
81301
Coloradoshares a border
Score 61.98
Closest healthier
81303
Coloradoshares a border
Score 59.76
Similar health profile
87535
New Mexico98% similar profile
Score 61.40
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 | 29.5% | 26.0–32.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 30.6% | 26.6–34.5 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 10.6% | 9.5–11.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.3% | 9.9–12.6 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.8% | 6.0–7.7 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.9% | 5.7–8.1 |
| Depression among adults | 21.7% | 18.4–25.1 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.0% | 8.5–11.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 35.3% | 31.2–39.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 20.9% | 15.8–26.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.5% | 3.1–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 8.0% | 6.3–10.0 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 8.4% | 6.9–10.2 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.5% | 70.7–77.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 74.5% | 70.6–78.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 88.2% | 86.5–89.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.3% | 61.2–71.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 67.9% | 64.4–71.3 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 72.5% | 64.1–79.7 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 17.4% | 14.4–20.7 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 12.0% | 9.7–14.5 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 16.8% | 13.5–20.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 28.0% | 22.7–34.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 16.0% | 13.4–18.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.3% | 13.3–17.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.3% | 11.4–15.2 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 13.2% | 11.3–15.1 |
| Any disability among adults | 29.0% | 24.6–33.5 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.1% | 7.1–9.1 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.2% | 6.1–8.2 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 12.5% | 10.4–14.6 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.4% | 2.9–3.9 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.4% | 3.8–5.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 11.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 44.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.4% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 0.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 89.2% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 19.5% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 3.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 1.7% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 75.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 32.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 52.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $80,089 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $558,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $1,332 | $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 | 81.6 yr ± 1.10 | 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 1.10 years of 81.6, 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