ZIP code
99161
in Palouse, WashingtonPopulation 1,435
58.19/ 100
Ranked #6,240 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 19%)
Ranked #156 of 581 Washington ZIPs (top 27%)
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.
Fatal road crashes
0 per 100,000 residents per year
at the national minimum
Lower is healthier
ST1stUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Short sleep
27%
in the bottom 1.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST5thUS1stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who usually sleep less than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Full methodology ›Fine-particle (PM2.5) exceedance
2.2%
in the top 4.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST82ndUS96thDefinition & 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 ›Humid extreme heat
9.2 days/year
in the bottom 6.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST42ndUS6thDefinition & 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 ›Poverty rate
2.7%
in the bottom 8.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST7thUS9thDefinition & source ›
The share of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
6.7%
in the bottom 7.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST16thUS7thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Mammography
78.2%
in the top 24% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS76thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Natural-disaster risk
in the bottom 30% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST4thUS30thDefinition & 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 ›The read
By its overall health score, Palouse, Washington (ZIP 99161) lands in the top 19% healthiest ZIPs nationally (6,240th) and the top 27% of Washington (156th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Neither strongly one way nor the other, the measures sit mixed: fatal road crashes sits at the national minimum, and modeled short sleep rests in the bottom 1.5% nationally. Modeled humid heat is in the bottom 6.3% nationally, and poverty stands in the bottom 8.9% nationally. Modeled tooth loss settles in the bottom 7.0% nationally, colon screening lies in the top 10.6% nationally, and industrial-pollution burden resides in the bottom 14.0% nationally. Unemployment lands in the bottom 16% nationally. Against that, modeled fine-particle registers in the top 4.0% nationally. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility sits at the national minimum, shared with about 31% of ZIPs.
To translate a couple of terms, fine-particle is fine airborne particles about one-thirtieth the width of a hair, counted on modeled days above the EPA standard. Industrial-pollution burden is the EPA's modeled screening score weighting industrial chemical releases by their toxicity and how many people live nearby. Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility is a plant handling large amounts of hazardous chemicals that must file an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases. Overall, the nearest healthier neighbor is ZIP 83844, about 6.4 miles away.
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
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 63%
21%
Preventive Care
healthier than 76%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 97%
11%
Disability
healthier than 73%
7%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 97%
5%
About typical
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 60%
16%
Mental Health
healthier than 42%
8%
Holding it back
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 34%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 30%
5%
Lifting this score
Preventive Care
healthier than 90%
13%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 85%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 63%
8%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
healthier than 84%
5%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 56%
7%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 36%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 20%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 36%
14%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 26%
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
99111
Washingtonshares a border
Score 54.74
Closest healthier
83844
Idahoabout 6.4 mi away
Score 58.59
Similar health profile
98946
Washington98% similar profile
Score 57.36
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 | 30.0% | 27.0–32.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.0% | 30.7–37.3 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 11.3% | 10.3–12.4 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.7% | 10.4–13.1 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.6% | 5.9–7.5 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.3% | 5.3–7.3 |
| Depression among adults | 25.5% | 22.4–28.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.2% | 8.8–11.7 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 37.3% | 34.0–40.8 |
| Obesity among adults | 30.7% | 26.2–35.3 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.5% | 3.1–3.9 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 6.7% | 5.5–8.2 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 5.7% | 4.5–7.2 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 77.1% | 74.0–79.8 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 74.5% | 71.3–77.5 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 87.2% | 85.5–88.7 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 72.0% | 68.3–75.8 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 73.5% | 70.8–76.1 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 78.2% | 72.5–83.4 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 15.6% | 13.3–18.1 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 10.5% | 8.5–12.6 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 15.9% | 13.1–19.0 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 27.0% | 23.3–31.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 15.3% | 13.1–17.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.0% | 14.0–18.0 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 13.6% | 11.9–15.5 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 12.8% | 11.1–14.6 |
| Any disability among adults | 28.9% | 25.3–32.6 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 7.9% | 7.0–8.8 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 7.1% | 6.1–8.1 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 12.4% | 10.6–14.4 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.4% | 2.9–3.8 |
| Vision disability among adults | 3.8% | 3.3–4.3 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 2.7% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.6% (3.5–22.3%) n=583 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 1.9% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.2% (1.8–22.7%) n=582 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 1.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.5%) n=588 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 45.8% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 27.4% (12.3–59.7%) n=588 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 0.4% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.5% (0.0–9.7%) n=584 |
| Households without a vehicle | 2.9% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.2%) n=580 |
| Broadband subscription | 91.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.7% (81.1–97.4%) n=580 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 16.0% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.9% (14.6–40.6%) n=580 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.5% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.2% (48.2–91.7%) n=580 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 2.1% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.6% (0.0–7.9%) n=580 |
| Foreign-born population | 3.1% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.7% (0.3–27.6%) n=588 |
| Single-parent households | 55.7% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.3% (40.5–76.0%) n=574 |
| Population 65+ | 19.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (10.3–36.9%) n=588 |
| Median age | 41.5 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (32.9–58.8) n=584 |
| Median household income | $87,464 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,646 ($56,217–$132,145) n=547 |
| Median home value | $302,600 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $452,750 ($241,540–$826,380) n=542 |
| Median gross rent | $922 | $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 | 82.5 yr ± 1.27 | 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 1.27 years of 82.5, 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