ZIP code
98538
in Curtis, WashingtonPopulation 460
51.42/ 100
Ranked #14,245 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 44%)
Ranked #364 of 581 Washington ZIPs (bottom 37%)
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.
Transportation noise
0.00%
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Slow internet speeds
2.4%
in the top 4.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST95thUS95thDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
8.5%
in the bottom 5.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST11thUS6thDefinition & 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 ›Walkability
2 intersections/sq mi
in the bottom 7.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST14thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The number of street intersections per square mile — a standard street-connectivity measure; denser networks correlate with more walkable neighborhoods.
Full methodology ›Tree cover
72.6%
in the top 8.0% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of this ZIP’s land area covered by forest.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
11.9 days/year
in the bottom 8.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST58thUS9thDefinition & 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 ›Arsenic in groundwater
1.3%
in the bottom 9.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST2ndUS9thDefinition & source ›
The modeled probability that untreated groundwater in this area — the source private wells draw on — exceeds the federal arsenic limit of 10 micrograms per liter.
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 ›Mammography
68.7%
in the bottom 9.4% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST18thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Home broadband subscription
75.3%
in the bottom 10.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST6thUS10thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
11.4%
in the bottom 11.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS11thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›The read
Curtis, Washington (ZIP 98538), overall, ranks in the top 44% healthiest ZIPs nationally (14,245th) and the bottom 37% of Washington (364th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Reading the numbers as a whole, the picture lands somewhere in between: modeled transportation noise sits at the national minimum, pfas lands in the bottom 5.8% nationally, and tree cover lies in the top 8.0% nationally. Modeled humid heat stands in the bottom 8.8% nationally, and arsenic rests in the bottom 9.3% nationally. On the other side, slow internet speeds registers in the top 4.9% nationally, and walkability resides in the bottom 7.1% nationally. Fiber broadband settles at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Modeled mammography is in the bottom 9.4% nationally, and home broadband subscription sits in the bottom 10.3% nationally.
Measured against the nearby ZIPs, slow internet speeds runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Defined simply, 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. Arsenic is a natural groundwater contaminant, here a modeled estimate of the chance private-well levels exceed a benchmark. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. ZIP 98572, just across the boundary, comes out 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
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 69%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 93%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 66%
11%
Disability
healthier than 62%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.3%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 59%
21%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 15%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 14%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 37%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 84%
14%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.8%
5%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 32%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 29%
16%
Preventive Care
healthier than 25%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 17%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 19%
8%
Disability
healthier than 40%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 31%
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 ›
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
98532
Washingtonshares a border
Score 51.37
Closest healthier
98572
Washingtonshares a border
Score 51.65
Similar health profile
98284
Washington97% similar profile
Score 53.57
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 | 29.6% | 26.8–32.6 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 33.3% | 30.0–36.8 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 9.5% | 8.6–10.5 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.8% | 10.5–13.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.1% | 5.4–6.9 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.5% | 5.6–7.6 |
| Depression among adults | 28.0% | 24.6–31.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.3% | 9.0–12.0 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 37.0% | 33.5–40.7 |
| Obesity among adults | 37.6% | 32.2–43.1 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.4% | 3.1–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 13.2% | 10.8–15.8 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 7.1% | 5.7–9.0 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 72.9% | 69.7–76.0 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 68.2% | 64.5–71.8 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 83.5% | 81.2–85.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 66.2% | 62.2–70.0 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 62.9% | 59.7–66.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 68.7% | 61.6–74.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 17.2% | 14.5–20.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 13.2% | 10.9–15.7 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 19.4% | 16.2–23.1 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 36.2% | 31.7–40.9 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 17.6% | 15.1–20.5 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 18.3% | 16.1–20.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.9% | 13.1–17.0 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.2% | 13.3–17.4 |
| Any disability among adults | 30.7% | 27.0–35.0 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.7% | 6.8–8.7 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.0% | 7.0–9.2 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 12.9% | 11.2–15.1 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.6% | 3.1–4.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 4.3% | 3.8–4.9 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 10.2% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.6% (3.5–22.3%) n=583 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 39.3% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.2% (1.8–22.7%) n=582 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 13.6% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.5%) n=588 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 9.0% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 27.4% (12.3–59.7%) n=588 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 2.6% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.5% (0.0–9.7%) n=584 |
| Households without a vehicle | 4.8% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.2%) n=580 |
| Broadband subscription | 75.3% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.7% (81.1–97.4%) n=580 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 11.4% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.9% (14.6–40.6%) n=580 |
| Homeownership rate | 84.9% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.2% (48.2–91.7%) n=580 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 0.0% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.6% (0.0–7.9%) n=580 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.9% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.7% (0.3–27.6%) n=588 |
| Single-parent households | 64.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.3% (40.5–76.0%) n=574 |
| Population 65+ | 19.8% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (10.3–36.9%) n=588 |
| Median age | 41.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (32.9–58.8) n=584 |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,646 ($56,217–$132,145) n=547 |
| Median home value | $482,100 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $452,750 ($241,540–$826,380) n=542 |
| Median gross rent | — | $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 | 78.1 yr ± 1.13 | 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 1.13 years of 78.1, 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