ZIP code
97520
in Ashland, OregonPopulation 26,512
56.65/ 100
Ranked #7,599 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 24%)
Ranked #54 of 407 Oregon ZIPs (top 13.3%)
Ranked #1 of 15 Medford, OR ZIPs (top 6.7%)
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.
Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance
7.9%
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST97thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of days in the year when modeled fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution was above the EPA’s daily limit of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
Full methodology ›Civic-institution access
0.92 per 1,000 residents
in the top 4.8% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS95thDefinition & source ›
The number of civic and social organizations 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 ›Physician access
2.2 per 1,000 residents
in the top 6.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST96thUS94thDefinition & 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 ›Recreation access
0.96 per 1,000 residents
in the top 9.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST86thUS90thDefinition & source ›
The number of places for physical recreation — gyms, sports, and fitness venues — 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 ›Obesity
29.9%
in the bottom 17% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS17thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.
Full methodology ›Fair or poor health
16.1%
in the bottom 20% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS20thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who rate their own general health as fair or poor.
Full methodology ›Cognitive disability
12.7%
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS25thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
27.7 days/year
in the bottom 25% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS25thDefinition & 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 ›The read
Overall, Ashland, Oregon (ZIP 97520) lands in the top 24% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,599th) and the top 13.3% of Oregon (54th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
The picture here is genuinely mixed, with readings on both sides: civic sits in the top 4.8% nationally. Distance to an emergency room is at the national minimum, shared with about 11% of ZIPs. Physicians settles in the top 6.0% nationally, and recreation resides in the top 9.6% nationally. Distance to a community health center registers at the national minimum, shared with about 23% of ZIPs. Dental providers rests in the top 13.0% nationally. Distance to a nursing home stands at the national minimum, shared with about 27% of ZIPs. Subsidized affordable housing lies in the top 13.8% nationally. On the other side, modeled fine-particle lands in the top 0.3% nationally, and expected annual loss sits in the top 12.6% nationally.
Set beside the nearby areas, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. A note on the terms: fine-particle is fine airborne particles about one-thirtieth the width of a hair, counted on modeled days above the EPA standard. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. Distance to a community health center is a federally funded (HRSA) community health center serving everyone regardless of ability to pay. This ZIP stands out as the strongest overall among its immediate neighbors.
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 Medford, OR 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 61%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 73%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 61%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 95%
11%
Disability
healthier than 73%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 89%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 18%
14%
Mental Health
healthier than 33%
8%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 72%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 81%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 89%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 76%
8%
Disability
healthier than 80%
7%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 55%
16%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 58%
5%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 34%
14%
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
in the top 0.00%
21%
Environmental Hazard
in the top 0.00%
14%
Preventive Care
in the top 0.00%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the top 0.00%
11%
Mental Health
in the top 0.00%
8%
Disability
in the top 0.00%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
in the top 0.00%
5%
Holding it back
Social Need / SDOH
in the bottom 0.00%
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 ›
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 81.2 ± 1.3 years. A median household income of $67,948 predicts 78.6 years — 2.6 years above.
Ranked #577 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.
Nearby
96044
Californiashares a border
Score 43.13
Similar health profile
97405
Oregon99% similar profile
Score 57.63
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 | 30.2% | 27.2–33.0 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.7% | 31.3–37.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.0% | 10.0–12.0 |
| Current asthma among adults | 12.0% | 10.7–13.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.9% | 6.2–7.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.8% | 5.9–7.6 |
| Depression among adults | 26.1% | 22.9–29.3 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.4% | 9.9–12.9 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 34.9% | 31.4–38.5 |
| Obesity among adults | 29.9% | 25.1–34.7 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.4% | 3.1–3.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 9.1% | 7.4–10.9 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.3% | 5.3–7.4 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 74.1% | 70.9–76.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 77.1% | 73.8–80.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 85.8% | 84.0–87.4 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 69.1% | 64.9–73.0 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 66.8% | 63.7–69.7 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 77.6% | 71.5–83.0 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.3% | 11.9–16.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 9.6% | 8.2–11.0 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 17.6% | 14.8–20.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 31.0% | 26.7–35.5 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 16.1% | 14.2–18.2 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.6% | 14.8–18.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 12.9% | 11.4–14.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.7% | 11.3–14.2 |
| Any disability among adults | 27.9% | 24.5–31.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.5% | 6.7–8.4 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.3% | 6.5–8.1 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 12.5% | 11.0–14.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.2% | 2.9–3.5 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.2% | 3.8–4.5 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | OR median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 16.1% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 11.7% (4.7–26.4%) n=411 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 9.4% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 7.9% (0.9–19.7%) n=411 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 3.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.5% (1.2–16.6%) n=412 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 62.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 23.7% (11.1–49.6%) n=412 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 6.3% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.8% (0.0–10.0%) n=409 |
| Households without a vehicle | 7.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.3% (0.0–10.0%) n=410 |
| Broadband subscription | 90.5% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 90.4% (76.7–96.9%) n=410 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 35.9% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 29.9% (14.6–42.0%) n=410 |
| Homeownership rate | 57.7% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 73.5% (52.8–90.2%) n=410 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 1.5% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.1% (0.0–6.7%) n=410 |
| Foreign-born population | 6.3% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 4.0% (0.0–13.0%) n=412 |
| Single-parent households | 58.5% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 57.5% (43.5–77.1%) n=407 |
| Population 65+ | 29.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 22.5% (12.7–42.1%) n=412 |
| Median age | 48.4 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 45.1 yr (36.3–62.2) n=410 |
| Median household income | $67,948 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $72,301 ($49,007–$109,558) n=378 |
| Median home value | $580,400 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $413,900 ($238,120–$653,360) n=374 |
| Median gross rent | $1,386 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,252 ($807–$1,772) n=327 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | OR median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 yr ± 0.65 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 79.1 yr (76.4–82.0) n=409 |
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 0.65 years of 81.2, 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