ZIP code
98261
in Lopez Island, WashingtonPopulation 2,984
59.54/ 100
Ranked #5,191 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 16%)
Ranked #122 of 581 Washington ZIPs (top 21%)
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.
Humid extreme heat
1.7 days/year
in the bottom 1.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST4thUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Pharmacy access
0.73 per 1,000 residents
in the top 2.2% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The number of pharmacies 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 ›Short sleep
27.4%
in the bottom 2.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST8thUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Civic-institution access
1.1 per 1,000 residents
in the top 3.5% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST96thUS97thDefinition & 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 ›Obesity
25%
in the bottom 5.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST12thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with obesity, defined as a body-mass index of 30 or higher.
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
0.08%
in the bottom 7.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.
Full methodology ›Cognitive disability
10.3%
in the bottom 6.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST6thUS6thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Full methodology ›Crowded housing
6.6%
in the top 9.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST87thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
25.3%
in the top 12.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS87thDefinition & 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
72.2%
in the top 9.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST90thUS90thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›The read
By the composite health measure, Lopez Island, Washington (ZIP 98261) ranks in the top 16% healthiest ZIPs nationally (5,191st) and the top 21% of Washington (122nd).
The picture here is genuinely mixed, with readings on both sides: modeled humid heat sits in the bottom 1.0% nationally, and pharmacy is in the top 2.2% nationally. Modeled short sleep settles in the bottom 2.1% nationally, and civic resides in the top 3.5% nationally. Modeled obesity registers in the bottom 5.6% nationally, transportation noise rests in the bottom 7.8% nationally, and cognitive disability stands in the bottom 6.3% nationally. Modeled extreme heat lies at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled loud transportation noise lands at the national minimum, shared with about 22% of ZIPs. On the other side, crowded housing sits in the top 9.3% nationally.
To spell things out, humid heat is a modeled heat-stress measure combining temperature, humidity, sun, and wind to gauge heat on the body outdoors. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. Extreme heat is a modeled count of days a year reaching a dangerously high temperature, a leading weather hazard. Close by, ZIP 98221, 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.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 94%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 79%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the top 0.9%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 86%
8%
Disability
healthier than 69%
7%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 42%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 53%
16%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 45%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 46%
5%
Nothing measured is holding this score back.
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 87%
14%
Preventive Care
healthier than 92%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 96%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 96%
8%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 50%
7%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 19%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 15%
16%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 10%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 37%
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.
Clean environment, heavy chronic burden
Where the environment and chronic illness point in opposite directions
Environmental-hazard standing 94.2 (top 10%); chronic-disease standing 41.8 — 52 points apart, cleaner on the environment than it is on chronic illness.
Ranked #2,316 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
98221
Washingtonshares a border
Score 61.98
Closest healthier
98250
Washingtonshares a border
Score 61.20
Similar health profile
98592
Washington95% similar profile
Score 59.15
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 | 36.0% | 32.4–39.7 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 39.3% | 35.2–43.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 14.2% | 12.9–15.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 10.6% | 9.4–11.9 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 8.7% | 7.6–9.8 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.9% | 5.6–8.3 |
| Depression among adults | 22.4% | 19.2–25.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 11.8% | 10.0–13.6 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 41.1% | 36.9–45.3 |
| Obesity among adults | 25.0% | 19.8–30.6 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.2% | 3.7–4.8 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 7.7% | 6.2–9.4 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 5.4% | 4.3–6.9 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 80.2% | 77.0–83.1 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 76.0% | 72.4–79.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 90.7% | 89.4–91.9 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 72.2% | 67.9–76.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 67.9% | 64.7–71.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 73.9% | 66.9–80.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 13.0% | 10.7–15.5 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 8.8% | 7.0–10.9 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 15.8% | 12.6–19.3 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 27.4% | 22.9–32.6 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 15.8% | 13.2–18.7 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 12.5% | 10.8–14.2 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.4% | 11.6–15.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 10.3% | 8.8–11.9 |
| Any disability among adults | 28.6% | 24.5–32.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.7% | 8.5–11.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 6.5% | 5.5–7.7 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 14.4% | 12.0–16.9 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.5% | 3.0–4.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.1% | 3.5–4.8 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 14.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.6% (3.5–22.3%) n=583 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 12.0% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.2% (1.8–22.7%) n=582 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 2.7% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.5%) n=588 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 59.6% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 27.4% (12.3–59.7%) n=588 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 4.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.5% (0.0–9.7%) n=584 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.2% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.2%) n=580 |
| Broadband subscription | 92.2% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.7% (81.1–97.4%) n=580 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 27.7% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.9% (14.6–40.6%) n=580 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.6% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.2% (48.2–91.7%) n=580 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 6.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.6% (0.0–7.9%) n=580 |
| Foreign-born population | 7.4% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.7% (0.3–27.6%) n=588 |
| Single-parent households | 69.9% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.3% (40.5–76.0%) n=574 |
| Population 65+ | 43.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (10.3–36.9%) n=588 |
| Median age | 62.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (32.9–58.8) n=584 |
| Median household income | $80,119 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,646 ($56,217–$132,145) n=547 |
| Median home value | $787,800 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $452,750 ($241,540–$826,380) n=542 |
| Median gross rent | $1,168 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,416 ($840–$2,197) n=476 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 86.5 yr ± 1.36 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.2 yr (77.3–83.1) n=584 |
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 1.36 years of 86.5, 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