ZIP code
81520
in Clifton, ColoradoPopulation 12,892
45.63/ 100
Ranked #21,734 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 32%)
Ranked #452 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (bottom 10.0%)
Ranked #17 of 17 Grand Junction, CO ZIPs (bottom 5.9%)
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.
Mammography
64.6%
in the bottom 2.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST7thUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
0.00%
at the national minimum
Higher is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›High cholesterol
30.7%
in the bottom 4.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST19thUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.
Full methodology ›Uninsured (under 65)
16.2%
in the top 8.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
Full methodology ›Cognitive disability
19.4%
in the top 12.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS88thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Unemployment rate
8.3%
in the top 14.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS86thDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›Outer-floodplain exposure
1.8%
in the top 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS83rdDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 0.2%-annual-chance flood band — the “500-year” zone, a lower but real 1-in-500 yearly chance.
Measured from FEMA’s mapped flood panels. Where a panel has not been mapped, no value is published for that ZIP — those ZIPs are absent from this comparison rather than counted as unexposed.
Full methodology ›Independent-living disability
10.3%
in the top 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS75thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who have difficulty doing errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition.
Full methodology ›The read
In its overall standing, Clifton, Colorado (ZIP 81520) lands in the bottom 32% nationally (21,734th) and the bottom 10.0% of Colorado (452nd).
Taken together, the data gives a genuinely mixed reading: modeled high cholesterol sits in the bottom 4.2% nationally, subsidized affordable housing lands in the top 11.3% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site lies in the top 12.5% nationally. Transit stands in the top 12.9% nationally. On the other side, modeled mammography rests in the bottom 2.5% nationally, and tree cover registers at the national minimum. Fiber broadband resides at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled uninsured settles in the top 8.8% nationally, and cognitive disability is in the top 12.1% nationally. Unemployment sits in the top 14.3% nationally.
Against the wider neighborhood, outer-floodplain exposure runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put simply, distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. Subsidized affordable housing is the main federal tax-credit program (HUD) funding affordable rental housing, counted as local units it supports. On the overall standing, ZIP 81503, just across the boundary, ranks healthier.
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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Grand Junction, CO metro area.
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 64%
21%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 62%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 71%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 43%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 57%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 57%
11%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 5%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Disability
healthier than 29%
7%
Lifting this score
Healthcare Access
healthier than 71%
5%
About typical
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 52%
14%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 28%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 23%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 7%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 10%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 4%
8%
Disability
healthier than 6%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 15%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 60%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 67%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 47%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
in the bottom 0.00%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 7%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the bottom 0.00%
11%
Mental Health
in the bottom 0.00%
8%
Disability
in the bottom 0.00%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 7%
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 ›
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 47 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 80.1 years — 3.6 years below them.
Ranked #2,812 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
81503
Coloradoshares a border
Score 51.61
Closest healthier
81504
Coloradoshares a border
Score 49.68
Similar health profile
80910
Colorado96% similar profile
Score 46.74
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 | 27.3% | 24.5–30.1 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 30.7% | 27.4–34.0 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 7.9% | 7.2–8.7 |
| Current asthma among adults | 12.4% | 11.1–13.9 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.7% | 6.1–7.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 8.4% | 7.5–9.4 |
| Depression among adults | 25.7% | 22.4–29.2 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.7% | 9.3–12.2 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 30.7% | 27.6–34.2 |
| Obesity among adults | 32.9% | 27.6–38.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.7% | 3.4–4.0 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 16.9% | 13.9–20.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 16.2% | 13.9–18.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 68.8% | 65.5–71.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 69.0% | 65.2–72.7 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 80.6% | 78.1–82.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 61.5% | 56.9–65.9 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 57.0% | 53.5–60.4 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 64.6% | 56.8–71.8 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.6% | 14.0–19.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 17.2% | 14.7–19.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 24.9% | 21.1–28.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 32.0% | 27.4–36.8 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 22.8% | 20.0–25.6 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 20.0% | 17.8–22.3 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.6% | 14.7–18.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 19.4% | 17.3–21.7 |
| Any disability among adults | 35.5% | 31.5–39.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.1% | 7.2–9.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 10.3% | 9.1–11.4 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 15.2% | 13.4–17.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.6% | 4.2–5.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 6.4% | 5.8–7.0 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 20.9% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 16.3% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 17.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 14.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 8.3% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.6% (0.0–7.7%) n=505 |
| Households without a vehicle | 4.5% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.9% (0.0–9.4%) n=507 |
| Broadband subscription | 91.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 36.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.3% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 74.7% (51.5–93.8%) n=507 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 4.5% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 1.1% (0.0–5.3%) n=507 |
| Foreign-born population | 6.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 52.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 17.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 38.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $50,283 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $249,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $1,026 | $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 ± 0.69 | 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 0.69 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