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ZipVitals

ZIP code

87571

in Taos, New MexicoPopulation 11,531

52.57/ 100

Ranked #12,671 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 40%)

Ranked #85 of 337 New Mexico ZIPs (top 25%)

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Robust across all 9 health domains

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 an emergency room

33.5 mi

in the top 1.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST84th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.

Full methodology ›

Park land

54.8%

in the top 2.1% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST88th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area that is public parkland.

Full methodology ›

Humid extreme heat

4.5 days/year

in the bottom 2.7% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST20th
US3rd
Definition & 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 ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

10 per million

in the bottom 2.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US3rd
Definition & 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 ›

Grocery access

0.34 per 1,000 residents

in the top 3.0% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US97th
Definition & source ›

The number of full supermarkets 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. ZipVitals’s food-access signal is derived from these in-ZIP densities — it is not USDA’s food-desert designation, which measures distance to the nearest supermarket. Where a leg is missing, a ZIP reads “not determinable,” never “not a food desert.”

Full methodology ›

Physician access

2.1 per 1,000 residents

in the top 6.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST97th
US94th
Definition & source ›

The number of physicians’ offices located 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 ›

Unemployment rate

11.1%

in the top 7.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST84th
US92nd
Definition & source ›

The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

Full methodology ›

PFAS in drinking water

57.6%

in the top 9.0% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US91st
Definition & 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 ›

Dental provider access

0.86 per 1,000 residents

in the top 9.5% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST95th
US91st
Definition & source ›

The number of dental offices located 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 ›

Tree cover

68.8%

in the top 9.8% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST90th
US90th
Definition & source ›

The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.

Full methodology ›

The read

Judged by its overall standing, Taos, New Mexico (ZIP 87571) sits in the top 40% healthiest ZIPs nationally (12,671st) and the top 25% of New Mexico (85th).

continue reading

An even profile, with readings pulling both ways: park land sits in the top 2.1% nationally, modeled humid heat stands in the bottom 2.7% nationally, and modeled air-toxics cancer risk resides in the bottom 2.8% nationally. Grocery sits in the top 3.0% nationally, physicians stands in the top 6.4% nationally, and dental providers resides in the top 9.5% nationally. Modeled extreme heat sits at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Against that, distance to an emergency room stands in the top 1.5% nationally, and unemployment resides in the top 7.6% nationally. Modeled pfas sits in the top 9.0% nationally.

Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. 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. Humid heat is a modeled heat-stress measure combining temperature, humidity, sun, and wind to gauge heat on the body outdoors. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 87514, 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.

Compare within

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 72%

16%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 88%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 74%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 99%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 45%

21%

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 54%

14%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 51%

5%

Holding it back

Preventive Care

healthier than 18%

13%

Disability

healthier than 24%

7%

Lifting this score

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 89%

16%

Preventive Care

healthier than 72%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 77%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 63%

8%

Climate / Disaster Risk

healthier than 83%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 68%

5%

About typical

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 47%

21%

Disability

healthier than 55%

7%

Holding it back

Environmental Hazard

healthier than 23%

14%

“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.

  • Above what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 83.3 ± 1.8 years. A median household income of $57,575 predicts 77.9 years — 5.4 years above.

    Ranked #36 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.

Nearby & similar ZIPs

Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.

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
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults31.2%27.8–34.9
High blood pressure among adults38.4%34.2–42.7
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults9.3%8.4–10.3
Current asthma among adults10.2%9.0–11.5
Coronary heart disease among adults8.8%8.0–9.8
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults8.0%7.1–9.0
Depression among adults22.1%18.7–25.8
Diagnosed diabetes among adults15.7%13.7–17.9
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened37.0%32.6–41.5
Obesity among adults29.0%22.5–36.1
Stroke among adults4.7%4.3–5.1
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years13.1%10.5–15.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years13.3%11.5–15.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure77.7%74.5–80.7
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults71.7%67.5–75.7
Cholesterol screening among adults86.5%84.7–88.1
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years62.4%56.7–67.3
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults62.4%58.5–65.9
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years69.8%61.1–77.0
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults12.6%10.2–15.3
Current cigarette smoking among adults13.2%11.3–15.2
No leisure-time physical activity among adults26.0%21.9–30.3
Short sleep duration among adults30.2%24.6–36.0
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults24.4%21.6–27.4
Frequent mental distress among adults14.8%13.0–16.7
Frequent physical distress among adults16.4%14.5–18.3
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults14.5%12.8–16.4
Any disability among adults35.2%30.9–39.6
Hearing disability among adults10.2%9.1–11.4
Independent living disability among adults9.5%8.5–10.6
Mobility disability among adults18.0%15.9–20.4
Self-care disability among adults5.3%4.8–5.8
Vision disability among adults7.6%7.0–8.3
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults22.5%19.3–26.1
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults18.9%16.4–21.6
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults15.7%13.5–18.0
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults13.8%11.9–15.8
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults9.9%8.7–11.1
Loneliness among adults31.7%26.9–36.7
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults10.1%8.8–11.6
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NM median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate17.1%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36415.0% (0.0–39.0%) n=347
Uninsured 18–6411.3%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28612.5% (0.0–35.5%) n=339
No HS diploma (25+)7.0%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5059.2% (0.0–28.5%) n=350
Bachelor's or higher (25+)45.8%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50519.3% (0.0–51.7%) n=350
Unemployment rate (16+)11.1%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2743.8% (0.0–15.2%) n=339
Households without a vehicle4.3%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,3222.3% (0.0–12.4%) n=347
Broadband subscription86.3%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32283.1% (53.2–100.0%) n=347
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)30.0%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32218.6% (0.0–41.4%) n=347
Homeownership rate70.4%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32283.2% (59.9–100.0%) n=347
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.5%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3220.4% (0.0–11.2%) n=347
Foreign-born population8.9%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5531.9% (0.0–15.7%) n=352
Single-parent households55.7%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08755.0% (28.8–100.0%) n=339
Population 65+32.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55322.8% (7.9–55.9%) n=352
Median age54.0 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29245.0 yr (31.2–67.3) n=339
Median household income$57,575$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$55,329 ($33,023–$90,174) n=265
Median home value$458,900$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$185,100 ($77,100–$382,920) n=255
Median gross rent$1,010$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$917 ($549–$1,408) n=173
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)NM median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth83.3 yr ± 0.9378.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30879.5 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 0.93 years of 83.3, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

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