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ZIP code

99703

in Fairbanks, AlaskaPopulation 8,304

ZipVitals Score
How is the ZipVitals Score calculated? →

56.46/ 100

Ranked #7,799 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 24%)

Ranked #20 of 211 Alaska ZIPs (top 9.5%)

Too few scored ZIPs in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area to rank within it.

Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.

Broad coverage across health domains

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.

High cholesterol

16.4%

in the bottom 0.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.

Full methodology ›

High blood pressure

14.2%

in the bottom 0.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.

Full methodology ›

Binge drinking

24.7%

in the top 0.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who report binge drinking — five or more drinks on one occasion for men, four or more for women.

Full methodology ›

Coronary heart disease

1.1%

in the bottom 0.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have coronary heart disease or angina.

Full methodology ›

Diabetes

2.2%

in the bottom 0.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

74.9 per million

in the top 0.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The EPA’s modeled estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air toxics, in cases per million people exposed over a lifetime.

Full methodology ›

Colon-cancer screening

48.1%

in the bottom 1.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST29th
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.

Full methodology ›

Stroke

0.70%

in the bottom 0.6% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have had a stroke.

Full methodology ›

Mobility disability

3.2%

in the bottom 0.4% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Full methodology ›

Slow internet speeds

99.7%

in the top 0.5% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST98th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.

Full methodology ›

The read

ZIP 99703, one of several in Fairbanks, Alaska ranks in the top 24% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,799th) and the top 9.5% of Alaska (20th), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

Several signals sit on each side of the ledger here: modeled high cholesterol settles in the bottom 0.8% nationally, and high blood pressure rests in the bottom 0.6% nationally. Modeled coronary heart disease lands in the bottom 0.5% nationally, and diabetes settles in the bottom 0.5% nationally. Modeled stroke rests in the bottom 0.6% nationally, and mobility disability lands in the bottom 0.4% nationally. Working the other way, modeled binge drinking settles in the top 0.6% nationally, air-toxics cancer risk rests in the top 0.2% nationally, and colon screening lands in the bottom 1.4% nationally. Slow internet speeds settles in the top 0.5% nationally.

Against its neighbors, slow internet speeds runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. For context, air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 99712, just across the boundary.

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

in the top 0.4%

21%

Disability

healthier than 97%

7%

Climate / Disaster RiskPartial

healthier than 68%

5%

Healthcare Access

healthier than 75%

5%

About typical

Mental Health

healthier than 44%

8%

Holding it back

Social Need / SDOH

healthier than 24%

16%

Environmental HazardPartial

healthier than 5%

14%

Preventive Care

in the bottom 0.7%

13%

Risk Behavior

healthier than 39%

11%

“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

2 of our published findings list 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.

  • Below what income predicts

    The ZIP codes that outlive their incomes

    Estimated life expectancy is 76.7 ± 1.3 years. A median household income of $68,667 predicts 78.6 years — 1.9 years below.

    Ranked #2,363 of the 5,842 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above what income predicts, highest first.

  • Highest-risk tenth

    Air toxics and the years between the two ends of the risk scale

    Modeled air-toxics cancer risk is 74.9 cases per million — among the tenth of compared ZIP codes with the most. Estimated life expectancy is 76.7 ± 1.3 years.

    Ranked #19 of the 4,173 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by modeled air-toxics risk, highest first.

Nearby & similar ZIPs

Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.

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
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Arthritis among adults5.6%4.8–6.4
High blood pressure among adults14.2%12.3–16.3
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults1.3%1.1–1.4
Current asthma among adults9.1%8.0–10.3
Coronary heart disease among adults1.1%1.0–1.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults1.8%1.5–2.2
Depression among adults20.8%17.9–23.8
Diagnosed diabetes among adults2.2%1.9–2.6
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened16.4%14.4–18.7
Obesity among adults29.7%25.5–34.2
Stroke among adults0.7%0.6–0.8
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years9.5%7.6–11.6
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years13.5%10.7–17.2
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure27.1%24.0–30.2
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults53.9%49.4–58.3
Cholesterol screening among adults61.6%56.7–66.6
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years48.1%43.8–52.4
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults62.5%59.2–65.6
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years62.9%55.3–69.7
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults24.7%21.3–28.4
Current cigarette smoking among adults10.1%8.0–12.4
No leisure-time physical activity among adults17.3%14.0–21.2
Short sleep duration among adults36.6%32.4–40.7
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults12.5%10.3–15.4
Frequent mental distress among adults19.1%16.4–21.9
Frequent physical distress among adults7.9%6.7–9.3
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults16.7%13.8–20.1
Any disability among adults25.4%21.2–30.0
Hearing disability among adults2.9%2.5–3.4
Independent living disability among adults6.3%5.2–7.7
Mobility disability among adults3.2%2.7–3.8
Self-care disability among adults1.3%1.1–1.5
Vision disability among adults3.0%2.6–3.6
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults30.5%25.8–34.8
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults13.2%10.4–16.3
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults7.4%5.9–9.4
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults12.2%10.1–14.6
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults10.1%8.3–12.1
Loneliness among adults42.1%37.2–46.7
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults6.7%5.6–7.9
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)AK median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate3.9%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.7% (1.4–38.0%) n=230
Uninsured 18–642.9%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28620.8% (8.5–50.0%) n=225
No HS diploma (25+)1.4%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5058.4% (1.4–25.1%) n=230
Bachelor's or higher (25+)29.2%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50515.0% (0.0–37.4%) n=230
Unemployment rate (16+)13.9%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2748.6% (0.0–29.5%) n=226
Households without a vehicle0.9%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,32231.1% (1.0–95.5%) n=228
Broadband subscription95.7%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32284.8% (49.6–96.0%) n=228
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)58.8%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32217.0% (0.0–33.2%) n=228
Homeownership rate0.9%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32271.7% (45.5–94.4%) n=228
Crowded housing (>1 per room)1.7%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3228.5% (0.0–48.6%) n=228
Foreign-born population8.1%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.8% (0.0–11.1%) n=231
Single-parent households29.4%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08744.2% (18.7–68.2%) n=221
Population 65+0.0%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55312.7% (3.0–29.7%) n=231
Median age22.8 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29235.7 yr (22.6–53.6) n=226
Median household income$68,667$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$66,823 ($39,905–$108,850) n=197
Median home value—$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$177,500 ($66,830–$395,940) n=178
Median gross rent$2,239$1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670$1,078 ($688–$1,571) n=143
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)AK median (p10–p90)
Life expectancy at birth76.7 yr ± 0.6678.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,30879.0 yr (75.1–84.7) n=222

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 0.66 years of 76.7, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.

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