ZIP code
95686
in Thornton, CaliforniaPopulation 1,171
35.47/ 100
Ranked #29,204 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 9.0%)
Ranked #1,602 of 1,719 California ZIPs (bottom 6.9%)
Ranked #27 of 30 Stockton-Lodi, CA ZIPs (bottom 10.0%)
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.
Floodplain exposure
99.3%
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Colon-cancer screening
50.4%
in the bottom 2.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST11thUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Loud transportation noise
5.1%
in the top 1.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST92ndUS99thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 65 decibels — around the volume of normal conversation.
Full methodology ›Fatal road crashes
68.3 per 100,000 residents per year
in the top 1.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS99thDefinition & 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 ›Fair or poor health
32.1%
in the top 5.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who rate their own general health as fair or poor.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
48.1%
in the top 3.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST86thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Uninsured (under 65)
18.5%
in the top 5.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST89thUS94thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 18–64 with no current health-insurance coverage.
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 ›Vision disability
9.3%
in the top 6.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.
Full methodology ›Dry extreme heat
78.8 days/year
in the top 5.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST81stUS95thDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year with a modeled daily high of at least 95 °F.
Full methodology ›Cross-source signals
Health need and barriers to care documented here
On our reading, this ZIP code carries the overlap at its acute level: acute means at least three of the six health-need readings and at least three of the six access barriers apply to the same place.
These are two separate readings of public data that both apply to this place — never a claim that one causes the other, never a severity score, and never a statement about any person who lives here.
Health need documented here
- People without health insurance
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
- Adults reporting fair or poor health
Barriers to reaching care
- Thin local supply of doctors
- Thin local supply of pharmacies
- Limited home internet for telehealth
A reading appears below only where this ZIP code is among the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on it — one national bar, the same for every ZIP in the country.
See the full care-deserts analysis →The read
In overall standing, Thornton, California (ZIP 95686) comes out in the bottom 9.0% nationally (29,204th) and the bottom 6.9% of California (1,602nd).
The clearest local signals in the data come through up front: floodplain exposure resides in the top 0.3% nationally, modeled colon screening rests in the bottom 2.2% nationally, and modeled loud transportation noise lies in the top 1.3% nationally. Fatal road crashes sits in the top 1.5% nationally, modeled fair or poor health settles in the top 5.2% nationally, and housing-cost burden registers in the top 3.8% nationally. Modeled uninsured stands in the top 5.9% nationally, and tree cover lands at the national minimum. Modeled vision disability is in the top 6.6% nationally, and extreme heat resides in the top 5.1% nationally.
Relative to the ZIPs around it, loud transportation noise runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. In plain terms, floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". Loud transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to road, rail, and air noise at or above 65 decibels, near conversation volume. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. The nearest healthier ZIP overall is ZIP 95242, 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. Compare it against the US, this state and the Stockton-Lodi, CA metro area.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 58%
21%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 5%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 3%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 3%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 31%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 38%
8%
Disability
healthier than 12%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 1%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 37%
5%
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 25%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 7%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 16%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 11%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 15%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 29%
8%
Disability
healthier than 12%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 2%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 23%
5%
Nothing measured is lifting this score.
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 7%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 10%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 24%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 21%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 21%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Disability
healthier than 10%
7%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 10%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 10%
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.
Heavy environment, light chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 3.4 (bottom 10%); chronic-disease standing 58.4 — 55 points apart, heavier on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #14,896 of the 18,187 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by the gap from cleanest environment to heaviest chronic burden, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
95242
Californiashares a border
Score 54.61
Closest healthier
95632
Californiashares a border
Score 49.90
Similar health profile
95955
California98% similar profile
Score 36.39
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 | 23.6% | 20.9–26.4 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 33.7% | 30.1–37.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 6.2% | 5.6–6.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.3% | 9.1–11.6 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.4% | 6.6–8.2 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 7.9% | 6.9–9.0 |
| Depression among adults | 21.8% | 18.8–25.0 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.8% | 13.0–16.8 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 35.5% | 31.9–39.2 |
| Obesity among adults | 35.4% | 29.6–41.4 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.2% | 3.8–4.6 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 20.8% | 17.2–24.5 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 18.5% | 15.0–22.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 72.1% | 68.9–75.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 70.2% | 66.2–73.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 81.9% | 79.5–84.3 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 50.4% | 45.2–55.2 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 46.5% | 42.7–49.9 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 68.7% | 59.8–76.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.7% | 11.3–16.2 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 15.9% | 13.6–18.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 31.9% | 27.3–36.8 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 40.1% | 34.6–45.3 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 32.1% | 28.3–36.1 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 19.1% | 16.9–21.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 17.8% | 15.7–20.1 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 19.8% | 17.4–22.5 |
| Any disability among adults | 40.3% | 35.6–45.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.6% | 6.7–8.5 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 11.9% | 10.5–13.5 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 20.1% | 17.7–22.7 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.3% | 5.6–7.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 9.3% | 8.3–10.4 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 29.1% | 25.0–32.8 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 29.1% | 24.6–33.5 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 27.4% | 23.4–31.5 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 22.3% | 19.0–25.5 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 14.5% | 12.4–16.6 |
| Loneliness among adults | 36.3% | 31.6–40.8 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 12.0% | 10.3–13.7 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 19.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 10.6% (4.1–24.9%) n=1,714 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 14.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 7.7% (1.7–17.9%) n=1,704 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 29.3% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 9.8% (1.4–30.9%) n=1,729 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 15.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 31.3% (9.9–68.2%) n=1,729 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 7.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 6.1% (0.8–12.0%) n=1,714 |
| Households without a vehicle | 11.1% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 4.5% (0.0–12.2%) n=1,708 |
| Broadband subscription | 89.6% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 93.4% (82.1–98.4%) n=1,708 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 48.1% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 38.6% (24.4–50.5%) n=1,708 |
| Homeownership rate | 57.2% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 64.1% (31.9–86.4%) n=1,708 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.8% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 4.8% (0.0–15.9%) n=1,708 |
| Foreign-born population | 25.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (3.0–40.4%) n=1,730 |
| Single-parent households | 57.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 48.4% (35.1–72.3%) n=1,692 |
| Population 65+ | 13.4% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 17.0% (9.7–35.7%) n=1,730 |
| Median age | 36.1 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 40.1 yr (31.8–57.0) n=1,712 |
| Median household income | $52,109 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $93,448 ($54,188–$159,562) n=1,584 |
| Median home value | $448,900 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $659,800 ($300,520–$1,493,340) n=1,593 |
| Median gross rent | $884 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,912 ($1,113–$2,923) n=1,461 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | CA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.4 yr ± 1.44 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.5 yr (76.7–83.8) n=1,665 |
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 1.44 years of 78.4, 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