The 100 Least Healthy Zip Codes in Pennsylvania

by Paul Ricci

Annually the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) comes out with an Unmet Need Score (UNS) for every zip code in the U.S. The UNS is a composite of 33 health variables at the zip code level. This post will focus on the 100 zip codes with the highest UNSs in Pennsylvania. These are the 100 least healthy zip codes in Pennsylvania.

Of the 100 zip codes in Pennsylvania, 43 of them were in the Alleghenies. Ten of them were in Allegheny County, 9 in Philadelphia County, 6 each in Dauphin and Indiana Counties and 5 in Schuylkill County. For the cities 9 are in Philadelphia, 3 in Erie, Johnstown and reading and 2 in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

All 100 zip codes are featured in the table below. Above is a graph showing the distribution of the zip codes in the Alleghenies and outside the Alleghenies with respect to mortality due to all causes. There were increased mortality rates in the Alleghenies with an average of 834 deaths per 100,000 in the Alleghenies and 791.43 deaths per 100,000 in the rest of Pennsylvania. The 2 highest mortality zip codes were in Fayette County in the Alleghenies. Conversely, Union County had the lowest mortality rates outside the Alleghenies. The above graph also shows that there is less spread in mortality in the Alleghenies than outside. There was no difference in the UNS for the Alleghenies.

The scores used to make up the composite are more interesting than the composite score (like the UNS) itself. We will look at the other statistics that characterize the health issues in the Alleghenies.

**Related Posts**

Health Factors in Pennsylvania and the Alleghenies

Unmet Needs in Pennsylvania

Health Center Penetration in the Area