ZIP code
98602
in Appleton, WashingtonPopulation 320
48.22/ 100
Ranked #18,659 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 42%)
Ranked #449 of 581 Washington ZIPs (bottom 23%)
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 ›Homeownership rate
100%
at the national maximum
Higher is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of occupied homes that are owned, rather than rented, by the people living in them.
Full methodology ›Households without a vehicle
27.7%
in the top 2.7% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST98thUS97thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Housing-cost burden
47.2%
in the top 4.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS96thDefinition & source ›
The share of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
Full methodology ›Natural-disaster risk
in the top 6.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST76thUS94thDefinition & source ›
This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.
Full methodology ›Floodplain exposure
0.04%
in the bottom 7.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS7thDefinition & 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 ›Distance to a nursing home
12.5 mi
in the top 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST80thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home.
Full methodology ›Poverty rate
29.1%
in the top 7.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST96thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Median household income
$53,617
in the bottom 19% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST9thUS19thDefinition & source ›
The middle household income in this ZIP — half of households earn more, half earn less — in dollars per year.
Full methodology ›The read
On the composite measure, Appleton, Washington (ZIP 98602) stands in the bottom 42% nationally (18,659th) and the bottom 23% of Washington (449th).
A number of readings press hard on the profile and set its tone: households without a vehicle settles in the top 2.7% nationally, and housing-cost burden rests in the top 4.3% nationally. Modeled disaster risk lands in the top 6.5% nationally, and distance to a nursing home settles in the top 7.4% nationally. Poverty rests in the top 7.4% nationally. Fiber broadband lands at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. On the brighter side, modeled transportation noise settles at the national minimum, homeownership rests at the national maximum, and floodplain exposure lands in the bottom 7.1% nationally. Unemployment settles at the national minimum, shared with about 15% of ZIPs.
For clarity, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Transportation noise is the modeled share of an area exposed to average road, rail, and air noise at or above 55 decibels. Floodplain exposure is land with about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year, nicknamed the "100-year floodplain". ZIP 98619, just across the boundary, ranks better overall among the ZIPs nearby.
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 81%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 81%
11%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 94%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 45%
16%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 25%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 30%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 31%
8%
Disability
healthier than 35%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 13%
5%
Lifting this score
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 72%
14%
Climate / Disaster Risk
healthier than 72%
5%
About typical
Preventive Care
healthier than 52%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 42%
8%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 9%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 10%
16%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 40%
11%
Disability
healthier than 15%
7%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 12%
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
98619
Washingtonshares a border
Score 49.78
Closest healthier
98635
Washingtonshares a border
Score 49.01
Similar health profile
98647
Washington97% similar profile
Score 50.11
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 | 35.8% | 32.2–39.5 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 37.8% | 33.9–41.9 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.4% | 10.2–12.6 |
| Current asthma among adults | 12.4% | 11.0–14.0 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 9.0% | 7.7–10.4 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 9.2% | 7.3–11.3 |
| Depression among adults | 26.0% | 22.7–29.8 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 13.4% | 11.4–15.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 39.1% | 35.4–43.1 |
| Obesity among adults | 34.7% | 29.3–40.7 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.6% | 3.9–5.4 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 12.1% | 9.8–14.7 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 6.8% | 5.1–9.0 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 78.5% | 75.2–81.6 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 73.6% | 70.0–77.1 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 86.2% | 84.1–88.2 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 64.5% | 60.0–68.9 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 60.4% | 56.9–64.0 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 69.9% | 62.2–76.9 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 14.1% | 11.8–16.8 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 14.2% | 11.0–17.7 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 21.1% | 17.0–26.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 33.7% | 28.5–39.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 20.8% | 17.0–25.2 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 17.0% | 14.8–19.4 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 16.7% | 14.1–19.4 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.0% | 12.6–17.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 32.8% | 28.0–38.1 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 9.7% | 8.4–11.0 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.9% | 7.3–10.7 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 16.7% | 13.6–20.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 4.9% | 4.0–6.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.4% | 4.5–6.5 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 29.1% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.6% (3.5–22.3%) n=583 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 3.2% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.2% (1.8–22.7%) n=582 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 0.0% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.5%) n=588 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 28.9% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 27.4% (12.3–59.7%) n=588 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.0% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.5% (0.0–9.7%) n=584 |
| Households without a vehicle | 27.7% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.2%) n=580 |
| Broadband subscription | 93.1% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.7% (81.1–97.4%) n=580 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 47.2% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.9% (14.6–40.6%) n=580 |
| Homeownership rate | 100.0% | 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 | 0.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.7% (0.3–27.6%) n=588 |
| Single-parent households | 78.8% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.3% (40.5–76.0%) n=574 |
| Population 65+ | 17.5% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (10.3–36.9%) n=588 |
| Median age | 61.2 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (32.9–58.8) n=584 |
| Median household income | $53,617 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,646 ($56,217–$132,145) n=547 |
| Median home value | — | $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 | 84.9 yr ± 1.90 | 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 1.90 years of 84.9, 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