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ZipVitals

ZIP code

99783

in Wales, AlaskaPopulation 238

23.55/ 100

Ranked #31,609 of 32,066 US ZIPs (bottom 1.5%)

Ranked #161 of 211 Alaska ZIPs (bottom 24%)

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.

Energy-cost burden

11.7%

in the top 0.3% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST74th
US99th
Definition & 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 ›

Mammography

56%

in the bottom 0.4% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST23rd
US1st
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of women aged 50–74 who had a mammogram within the past two years.

Full methodology ›

Air-toxics cancer risk

6 per million

at the national minimum

Lower is healthier

ST1st
US1st
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 ›

Distance to a hazardous-chemical facility

546.6 mi

in the top 0.04% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & 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 a Superfund site

594.3 mi

in the top 0.05% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & 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

100%

at the national maximum

Lower is healthier

ST99th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of households with no vehicle available.

Full methodology ›

Distance to an emergency room

486.1 mi

in the top 0.08% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST94th
US99th
Definition & source ›

The distance in miles from this ZIP’s edge to the nearest Medicare-certified hospital with an emergency room.

Full methodology ›

Colon-cancer screening

47.7%

in the bottom 1.3% nationally

Higher is healthier

ST26th
US1st
Definition & source ›

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

Full methodology ›

Crowded housing

50%

in the top 0.2% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST91st
US99th
Definition & source ›

The share of occupied homes with more than one person per room, the Census definition of crowded housing.

Full methodology ›

Tooth loss

33.1%

in the top 1.8% nationally

Lower is healthier

ST75th
US98th
Definition & source ›

The estimated share of adults aged 65 and older who have lost all of their natural teeth.

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

Overall, Wales, Alaska (ZIP 99783) lands in the bottom 1.5% nationally (31,609th) and the bottom 24% of Alaska (161st), based on limited data; treat as directional.

continue reading

What defines this place in the numbers is worth naming first: modeled energy burden rests in the top 0.3% nationally, and mammography stands in the bottom 0.4% nationally. Households without a vehicle lies at the national maximum, and distance to an emergency room lands in the top 0.08% nationally. Modeled colon screening sits in the bottom 1.3% nationally, crowded housing is in the top 0.2% nationally, and modeled tooth loss settles in the top 1.8% nationally. More encouragingly, modeled air-toxics cancer risk resides at the national minimum, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility registers in the top 0.04% nationally, and distance to a Superfund site rests in the top 0.05% nationally.

Set beside the nearby areas, distance to a hazardous-chemical facility runs far higher than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. A note on the terms: air-toxics cancer risk is a modeled EPA estimate of added lifetime cancer risk from breathing outdoor air, per million people. 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. Distance to a Superfund site is an abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste site the EPA has identified for cleanup. For a healthier nearby comparison, ZIP 99762, about 24 miles away, ranks better 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

Environmental HazardPartial

in the top 0.00%

14%

Holding it back

Chronic Disease Burden

healthier than 38%

22%

Social Need / SDOH

in the bottom 0.01%

17%

Preventive Care

in the bottom 0.06%

13%

Risk Behavior

in the bottom 0.09%

11%

Mental Health

healthier than 12%

9%

Disability

healthier than 3%

8%

Healthcare Access

in the bottom 0.00%

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.

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 adults20.9%18.3–23.7
High blood pressure among adults34.1%30.5–38.1
Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults4.2%3.7–4.8
Current asthma among adults13.2%11.6–15.0
Coronary heart disease among adults7.6%6.6–8.7
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults10.1%8.5–12.0
Depression among adults21.5%18.3–25.1
Diagnosed diabetes among adults13.9%12.0–16.0
High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened30.5%26.9–34.3
Obesity among adults42.7%36.0–49.8
Stroke among adults4.6%4.0–5.3
All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years33.1%27.5–38.7
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years17.6%13.6–22.3
Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure62.2%58.6–65.9
Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults60.7%55.9–65.6
Cholesterol screening among adults65.8%61.3–69.9
Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years47.7%42.1–53.1
Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults35.5%32.0–39.2
Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years56.0%46.2–65.2
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Binge drinking among adults19.0%15.7–22.6
Current cigarette smoking among adults36.4%30.4–42.3
No leisure-time physical activity among adults34.0%28.1–40.4
Short sleep duration among adults46.3%40.0–52.9
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults33.9%28.9–39.8
Frequent mental distress among adults23.5%20.5–26.6
Frequent physical distress among adults19.7%16.9–22.8
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Cognitive disability among adults24.5%20.9–28.6
Any disability among adults44.6%38.8–50.9
Hearing disability among adults11.2%9.8–12.8
Independent living disability among adults15.3%13.0–18.0
Mobility disability among adults18.3%15.5–21.5
Self-care disability among adults6.6%5.6–7.9
Vision disability among adults11.7%10.0–13.6
Health-Related Social NeedsCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
MeasureCrude prevalence95% CI
Lack of social and emotional support among adults34.7%29.7–39.7
Food insecurity in the past 12 months among adults44.1%36.8–51.2
Received food stamps in the past 12 months among adults36.9%29.7–43.6
Housing insecurity in the past 12 months among adults30.9%25.6–36.0
Lack of reliable transportation in the past 12 months among adults26.0%22.1–30.2
Loneliness among adults37.8%32.4–43.1
Utility services shut-off threat in the past 12 months among adults24.4%20.6–28.2
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
MeasureValueUS median (p10–p90)AK median (p10–p90)
Poverty rate28.0%10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,36413.7% (1.4–38.0%) n=230
Uninsured 18–6425.9%9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,28620.8% (8.5–50.0%) n=225
No HS diploma (25+)11.3%7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,5058.4% (1.4–25.1%) n=230
Bachelor's or higher (25+)0.0%23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,50515.0% (0.0–37.4%) n=230
Unemployment rate (16+)13.8%3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,2748.6% (0.0–29.5%) n=226
Households without a vehicle100.0%3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,32231.1% (1.0–95.5%) n=228
Broadband subscription61.8%89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,32284.8% (49.6–96.0%) n=228
Housing cost burden (≥30% income)20.6%23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,32217.0% (0.0–33.2%) n=228
Homeownership rate69.1%78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,32271.7% (45.5–94.4%) n=228
Crowded housing (>1 per room)50.0%1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,3228.5% (0.0–48.6%) n=228
Foreign-born population0.0%2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,5530.8% (0.0–11.1%) n=231
Single-parent households33.3%53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,08744.2% (18.7–68.2%) n=221
Population 65+2.5%19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,55312.7% (3.0–29.7%) n=231
Median age21.5 yr42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,29235.7 yr (22.6–53.6) n=226
Median household income$37,188$72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318$66,823 ($39,905–$108,850) n=197
Median home value$95,000$222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049$177,500 ($66,830–$395,940) n=178
Median gross rent$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 birth84.7 yr ± 2.6578.9 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 2.65 years of 84.7, 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