ZIP code
87544
in Los Alamos, New MexicoPopulation 13,598
70.55/ 100
Ranked #495 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 1.6%)
Ranked #1 of 337 New Mexico ZIPs (top 0.3%)
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.
Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
32.4 mi
in the top 1.7% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST82ndUS98thDefinition & 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 ›Air-toxics cancer risk
10 per million
in the bottom 2.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS3rdDefinition & 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 ›Median household income
$138,583
in the top 5.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.
Full methodology ›Obesity
25.6%
in the bottom 6.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST3rdUS6thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.
Full methodology ›Food insecurity
7.3%
in the bottom 4.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS5thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Park land
26.2%
in the top 5.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST79thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.
Full methodology ›Short sleep
28.7%
in the bottom 4.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST6thUS5thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Lack of transportation
4.8%
in the bottom 5.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS6thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who lacked reliable transportation in the past 12 months.
Full methodology ›Cognitive disability
9.7%
in the bottom 4.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Mobility disability
8.6%
in the bottom 4.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS4thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
Full methodology ›The read
Los Alamos, New Mexico (ZIP 87544) ranks in the top 1.6% healthiest ZIPs nationally (495th) and the top 0.3% of New Mexico (1st).
A profile of give and take, with clear readings each way: distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 1.7% nationally, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk lies in the bottom 2.8% nationally. Household income is in the top 5.4% nationally, and modeled obesity registers in the bottom 6.5% nationally. Modeled food insecurity lies in the bottom 4.7% nationally. Distance to an emergency room is at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Park land registers in the top 5.4% nationally, modeled short sleep lies in the bottom 4.9% nationally, and modeled transportation is in the bottom 5.9% nationally. Modeled cognitive disability registers in the bottom 4.0% nationally.
Against its neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, 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. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Among the ZIPs nearby, none ranks healthier overall than this one.
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 95%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 98%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 95%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 98%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 89%
8%
Disability
healthier than 95%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 94%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 52%
13%
Holding it back
Healthcare Access
healthier than 33%
5%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 98%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
in the top 0.8%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 60%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 92%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 95%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 87%
8%
Disability
in the top 0.4%
7%
About typical
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 57%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 53%
5%
Nothing measured is holding this score back.
“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
87025
New Mexicoshares a border
Score 58.38
Similar health profile
95043
California100% similar profile
Score 61.65
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 | 22.3% | 19.3–25.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 27.7% | 23.8–31.7 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 8.3% | 7.4–9.1 |
| Current asthma among adults | 9.1% | 7.9–10.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 4.8% | 4.3–5.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 3.9% | 3.4–4.6 |
| Depression among adults | 21.1% | 17.5–24.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 8.0% | 6.8–9.3 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 32.3% | 28.0–36.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 25.6% | 19.1–32.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 2.4% | 2.2–2.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 5.0% | 3.9–6.1 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 5.7% | 4.7–6.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 72.9% | 68.9–76.2 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 71.4% | 66.7–75.4 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 88.0% | 86.1–89.5 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 64.7% | 59.6–69.6 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 76.1% | 73.1–79.0 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 77.2% | 70.1–83.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.4% | 13.2–19.6 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 7.6% | 6.2–9.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 13.9% | 11.1–17.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 28.7% | 23.3–34.6 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 12.2% | 10.4–14.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 12.6% | 10.9–14.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 10.0% | 8.7–11.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 9.7% | 8.4–11.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 21.9% | 18.4–25.7 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 5.9% | 5.2–6.6 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 5.1% | 4.5–5.8 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 8.6% | 7.3–10.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 2.3% | 2.0–2.6 |
| Vision disability among adults | 3.1% | 2.8–3.4 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 20.1% | 16.7–23.6 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 7.3% | 6.0–8.8 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 5.2% | 4.2–6.4 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 6.9% | 5.8–8.3 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 4.8% | 4.1–5.5 |
| Loneliness among adults | 31.1% | 26.0–36.5 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 4.9% | 4.1–5.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NM median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 4.0% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 15.0% (0.0–39.0%) n=347 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 3.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 12.5% (0.0–35.5%) n=339 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 9.2% (0.0–28.5%) n=350 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 69.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 19.3% (0.0–51.7%) n=350 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.8% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 3.8% (0.0–15.2%) n=339 |
| Households without a vehicle | 2.8% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 2.3% (0.0–12.4%) n=347 |
| Broadband subscription | 94.7% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 83.1% (53.2–100.0%) n=347 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 13.7% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 18.6% (0.0–41.4%) n=347 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.1% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 83.2% (59.9–100.0%) n=347 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 0.4% (0.0–11.2%) n=347 |
| Foreign-born population | 11.6% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 1.9% (0.0–15.7%) n=352 |
| Single-parent households | 60.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 55.0% (28.8–100.0%) n=339 |
| Population 65+ | 17.2% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 22.8% (7.9–55.9%) n=352 |
| Median age | 38.6 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 45.0 yr (31.2–67.3) n=339 |
| Median household income | $138,583 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $55,329 ($33,023–$90,174) n=265 |
| Median home value | $488,300 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $185,100 ($77,100–$382,920) n=255 |
| Median gross rent | $1,360 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $917 ($549–$1,408) n=173 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | NM median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.5 yr ± 1.04 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 79.5 yr (76.1–83.2) n=357 |
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 1.04 years of 82.5, 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