ZIP code
81527
in Whitewater, ColoradoPopulation 1,462
56.38/ 100
Ranked #7,896 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 25%)
Ranked #228 of 502 Colorado ZIPs (top 45%)
Ranked #9 of 17 Grand Junction, CO ZIPs (bottom 47%)
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.
Fatal road crashes
82.1 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 0.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Walkability
0.43 intersections/sq mi
in the bottom 1.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST2ndUS1stDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Park land
45.5%
in the top 2.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST82ndUS97thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.
Full methodology ›Natural-disaster risk
in the top 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST85thUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Mammography
67%
in the bottom 5.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST21stUS5thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
15.6 per million
in the bottom 6.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST41stUS6thDefinition & 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 ›Floodplain exposure
0.07%
in the bottom 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST13thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area inside FEMA’s 1%-annual-chance floodplain — the “100-year” flood zone, where flooding has about a 1-in-100 chance in any given year.
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 ›Short sleep
29.3%
in the bottom 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST33rdUS7thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
2.4%
in the bottom 7.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Unemployment rate
10.2%
in the top 9.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.
Full methodology ›The read
By the composite measure, Whitewater, Colorado (ZIP 81527) sits in the top 25% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,896th) and the top 45% of Colorado (228th).
Where the data leans one way, another reading answers it: park land settles in the top 2.8% nationally, modeled air-toxics cancer risk stands in the bottom 6.2% nationally, and floodplain exposure is in the bottom 7.4% nationally. Modeled short sleep rests in the bottom 6.8% nationally, and poverty sits in the bottom 7.9% nationally. Households without a vehicle registers at the national minimum, shared with about 16% of ZIPs. On the other hand, fatal road crashes lands in the top 0.9% nationally, and walkability resides in the bottom 1.0% nationally. Modeled disaster risk lies in the top 4.3% nationally, and mammography settles in the bottom 5.5% nationally.
Compared with the ZIPs that surround it, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plain language, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". ZIP 81507, just across the boundary, ranks healthier overall.
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
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 65%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 73%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 91%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 63%
8%
Disability
healthier than 65%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 95%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 57%
21%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 37%
13%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 38%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 69%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 69%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 69%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 61%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 44%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 55%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 46%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 20%
21%
Disability
healthier than 38%
7%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 73%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 80%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 73%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 60%
8%
Disability
healthier than 67%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 80%
5%
About typical
Healthcare Access
healthier than 40%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 33%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 33%
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
81416
Coloradoshares a border
Score 44.47
Closest healthier
81507
Coloradoshares a border
Score 63.47
Similar health profile
87059
New Mexico99% similar profile
Score 58.08
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 | 32.0% | 28.5–35.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.3% | 30.5–38.5 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.2% | 10.0–12.4 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.6% | 10.3–13.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.3% | 6.3–8.3 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.5% | 6.1–9.0 |
| Depression among adults | 23.0% | 20.0–26.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.7% | 9.0–12.5 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 34.8% | 31.1–38.7 |
| Obesity among adults | 30.2% | 25.1–36.2 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.7% | 3.2–4.3 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 11.3% | 9.2–13.8 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.8% | 6.1–9.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.1% | 70.5–77.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 74.9% | 71.6–78.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 88.7% | 86.8–90.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 68.0% | 63.5–72.1 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 68.5% | 65.1–71.6 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 67.0% | 59.4–74.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.4% | 13.0–18.2 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 12.8% | 10.0–15.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 18.7% | 15.0–22.7 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 29.3% | 25.0–33.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 16.9% | 14.0–20.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 15.4% | 13.4–17.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.5% | 12.4–16.7 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 13.3% | 11.3–15.5 |
| Any disability among adults | 29.7% | 25.3–34.3 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.4% | 7.3–9.6 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.2% | 6.1–8.6 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.5% | 11.1–16.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.6% | 3.0–4.2 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.4% | 3.7–5.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CO median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 2.4% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.1% (2.3–21.1%) n=507 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 16.1% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 9.9% (1.9–21.6%) n=503 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 5.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 5.0% (0.0–16.3%) n=508 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 27.5% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 33.9% (14.8–65.1%) n=508 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 10.2% | 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 | 95.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.5% (79.4–98.7%) n=507 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 17.2% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (15.9–42.9%) n=507 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.5% | 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 | 0.7% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.8% (0.0–14.6%) n=508 |
| Single-parent households | 80.2% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.4% (40.1–81.1%) n=500 |
| Population 65+ | 17.9% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.6% (9.2–36.4%) n=508 |
| Median age | 54.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (33.4–58.2) n=502 |
| Median household income | $76,815 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,602 ($48,743–$134,919) n=470 |
| Median home value | $425,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $458,400 ($191,360–$800,020) n=469 |
| Median gross rent | $1,289 | $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 | 80.2 yr ± 1.24 | 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 1.24 years of 80.2, 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