ZIP code
99739
in Elim, AlaskaPopulation 383
23.86/ 100
Ranked #31,575 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 1.6%)
Ranked #159 of 211 Alaska ZIPs (bottom 25%)
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.
Energy-cost burden
11.7%
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST74thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of household income spent on home energy bills — electricity, gas, and heating fuels.
A modeled share of household income spent on home energy. Estimates that hit the model’s 100% ceiling are suppressed rather than published, because at that point the figure reflects the model’s limit rather than a measured burden.
Full methodology ›Tooth loss
40.3%
in the top 0.5% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS99thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Full methodology ›Mammography
58.6%
in the bottom 0.6% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST36thUS1stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.
Full methodology ›Colon-cancer screening
45.8%
in the bottom 0.9% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST17thUS1stDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults aged 45–75 who are up to date on colorectal-cancer screening.
Full methodology ›Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility
390.8 mi
in the top 0.09% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST93rdUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest facility that handles enough hazardous chemicals to require an EPA risk-management plan for accidental releases.
Full methodology ›Distance to an emergency room
410.3 mi
in the top 0.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST86thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.
Full methodology ›Air-toxics cancer risk
8 per million
in the bottom 0.2% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST23rdUS1stDefinition & 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 ›Vision disability
12.0%
in the top 2.1% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST79thUS98thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults who are blind or have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses.
Full methodology ›Distance to a Superfund site
414.2 mi
in the top 0.3% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST76thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Superfund site — an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has listed for cleanup.
Full methodology ›Households without a vehicle
85.1%
in the top 0.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST79thUS99thDefinition & source ›
The share of households with no vehicle available.
Full methodology ›Cross-source signals
Health need and barriers to care documented here
On our reading, this ZIP code carries the overlap at its acute level: acute means at least three of the six health-need readings and at least three of the six access barriers apply to the same place.
These are two separate readings of public data that both apply to this place — never a claim that one causes the other, never a severity score, and never a statement about any person who lives here.
Health need documented here
- People without health insurance
- People living in poverty
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
- Adults reporting fair or poor health
Barriers to reaching care
- Distance to the nearest emergency room
- Households with no vehicle
- Limited home internet for telehealth
A reading appears below only where this ZIP code is among the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on it — one national bar, the same for every ZIP in the country.
See the full care-deserts analysis →The read
Elim, Alaska (ZIP 99739) ranks in the bottom 1.6% nationally (31,575th) and the bottom 25% of Alaska (159th), based on limited data; treat as directional.
Plainly, the numbers point to a handful of defining readings: modeled energy burden settles in the top 0.3% nationally, and tooth loss rests in the top 0.5% nationally. Modeled mammography lands in the bottom 0.6% nationally, and colon screening settles in the bottom 0.9% nationally. Distance to an emergency room rests in the top 0.2% nationally, modeled vision disability lands in the top 2.1% nationally, and households without a vehicle settles in the top 0.3% nationally. On the brighter side, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility rests in the top 0.09% nationally, modeled air-toxics cancer risk lands in the bottom 0.2% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site settles in the top 0.3% nationally.
For context, 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. Air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. The closest ZIP that ranks healthier overall is ZIP 99762, just across the boundary. The area also shows documented health need overlapping with barriers to reaching care, sitting in the most-affected 10% of US ZIP codes on several need measures and several access barriers.
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 HazardPartial
in the top 0.00%
14%
Holding it back
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 31%
22%
Social Need / SDOH
in the bottom 0.01%
17%
Preventive Care
in the bottom 0.08%
13%
Risk Behavior
in the bottom 0.3%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 11%
9%
Disability
healthier than 2%
8%
Healthcare Access
in the bottom 0.2%
6%
No data: Climate / Disaster Risk — not measured in this ZIP, so it is left out of the score entirely rather than estimated.
“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
99762
Alaskashares a border
Score 47.86
Closest healthier
99727
Alaskaabout 50 mi away
Score 25.56
Similar health profile
99742
Alaska100% similar profile
Score 23.25
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 | 22.1% | 19.5–24.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 34.7% | 30.8–38.6 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 4.4% | 3.9–4.9 |
| Current asthma among adults | 13.7% | 12.1–15.4 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 7.6% | 6.7–8.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 10.4% | 8.7–12.1 |
| Depression among adults | 22.0% | 18.8–25.6 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 14.2% | 12.2–16.1 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 30.7% | 27.0–34.6 |
| Obesity among adults | 42.6% | 35.8–49.5 |
| Stroke among adults | 4.7% | 4.2–5.4 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 40.3% | 34.6–46.3 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 16.6% | 13.0–20.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 63.2% | 59.6–66.8 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 61.7% | 57.1–66.3 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 66.8% | 63.1–71.0 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 45.8% | 40.5–51.3 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 37.8% | 34.2–41.5 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 58.6% | 48.4–67.6 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 18.5% | 15.4–21.9 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 36.8% | 31.4–42.2 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 34.3% | 28.4–40.1 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 44.5% | 38.3–51.0 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 34.4% | 29.5–39.3 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 23.6% | 20.7–26.6 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 20.2% | 17.4–22.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 24.8% | 21.3–28.3 |
| Any disability among adults | 45.2% | 39.3–50.9 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 11.3% | 10.0–12.7 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 15.9% | 13.5–18.3 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 19.4% | 16.5–22.3 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 6.9% | 5.9–8.0 |
| Vision disability among adults | 12.0% | 10.4–13.8 |
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support among adults | 34.6% | 29.7–39.4 |
| Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 44.4% | 37.7–51.1 |
| Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults | 37.6% | 31.2–43.8 |
| Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults | 31.0% | 26.4–35.7 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults | 26.4% | 22.7–30.5 |
| Loneliness among adults | 38.0% | 32.7–43.2 |
| Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults | 24.7% | 21.4–28.1 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | AK median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 41.8% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 13.7% (1.4–38.0%) n=230 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 25.5% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 20.8% (8.5–50.0%) n=225 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 4.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 8.4% (1.4–25.1%) n=230 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 8.1% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 15.0% (0.0–37.4%) n=230 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 38.9% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 8.6% (0.0–29.5%) n=226 |
| Households without a vehicle | 85.1% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 31.1% (1.0–95.5%) n=228 |
| Broadband subscription | 89.1% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 84.8% (49.6–96.0%) n=228 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 23.8% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 17.0% (0.0–33.2%) n=228 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.3% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 71.7% (45.5–94.4%) n=228 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 40.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 8.5% (0.0–48.6%) n=228 |
| Foreign-born population | 0.5% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 0.8% (0.0–11.1%) n=231 |
| Single-parent households | 18.6% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 44.2% (18.7–68.2%) n=221 |
| Population 65+ | 5.0% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 12.7% (3.0–29.7%) n=231 |
| Median age | 22.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 35.7 yr (22.6–53.6) n=226 |
| Median household income | $37,031 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $66,823 ($39,905–$108,850) n=197 |
| Median home value | $120,000 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $177,500 ($66,830–$395,940) n=178 |
| Median gross rent | $1,125 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,078 ($688–$1,571) n=143 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | AK median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.7 yr ± 2.65 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 79.0 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 2.65 years of 84.7, 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