Comprehensive Health Information About 02121. The 02121 ZIP Code (Dorchester, MA) has an uninsured (health insurance) rate of about 5.4%. This is approximately 39% lower than the overall U.S. uninsured rate of 8.8%. High cholesterol is an issue for roughly 30.2% of adults ages 18 and above in this Dorchester, MA region. Regarding health risk behaviors in 02121, approximately 41.6% of residents sleep less than 7 hours per night on consistent basis.
An estimated 94.6% of residents in the 02121 ZIP Code have health insurance, which is approximately 3% lower than the rate of 97.3% rate seen in the state of Massachusetts overall and 4% higher than the insured rate of the U.S. in its entirety (91.2%). Of those with health insurance in this Dorchester, MA region, approximately 35.6% have private health insurance. This compares to 74.2% of those insured in Massachusetts and 67.9% of those insured in the U.S. overall who have private health insurance. In addition, about 65.1% have public health insurance in ZIP Code 02121, versus 36.3% in Massachusetts and 35.1% in the U.S. overall.
See the chart below for a comparison of health insurance coverage in ZIP Code 02121, Massachusetts, and also in the U.S. as a whole.
See the table below for the regional comparison of health insurance coverage.
| Health Insurance | ZIP 02121 | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| With health insurance | 94.6% | 97.3% | 91.2% |
| Private health insurance | 35.6% | 74.2% | 67.9% |
| Public health insurance | 65.1% | 36.3% | 35.1% |
| No health insurance | 5.4% | 2.7% | 8.8% |
| Employed, with health insurance | 89.8% | 96.6% | 89.0% |
| Unemployed, with health insurance | 95.3% | 89.9% | 72.4% |
One of the most common chronic health issues in the 02121 ZIP Code in Suffolk County is high blood pressure. Approximately 36.0% of adults 18 years and older deal with this issue of high blood pressure. An additional chronic health issue that is common for residents of the region associated with ZIP Code 02121 is high cholesterol. An estimated 30.2% of adults 18 and older in this Massachusetts region deal with the issue of high cholesterol.
This chart visualizes chronic health issues in this Dorchester, MA region. Percentages here refer to adult residents in 02121 who are 18 years and older.
| Health Issue | Percent of adults* |
|---|---|
| Arthritis | 23.6% |
| High blood pressure | 36.0% |
| Cancer (excluding skin cancer) | 4.9% |
| Current asthma | 14.3% |
| Coronary heart disease | 5.8% |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 7.7% |
| Depression | 21.1% |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 14.8% |
| High cholesterol | 30.2% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 3.7% |
| Stroke | 4.3% |
One of the most common preventative health measures practiced by residents of ZIP Code 02121 is current access to health insurance. It is estimated that about 89% of adults in 02121 that are at least 18 years old have taken this preventive measure in the past 12 months. In addition, about 82.6% of adults 18 years of age and older in this Suffolk County region have practiced the preventive measure cholesterol screening in the past twelve months.
| Preventive Measure | Percent of adults* |
|---|---|
| Current access to health insurance | 89% |
| Taking medicine for high blood pressure control | 75.1% |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup | 75.7% |
| Cholesterol screening | 82.6% |
| Visits to dentist or dental clinic | 51.3% |
The most common health risk behavior seen in ZIP Code 02121 is sleeping less than 7 hours, as about 41.6% of adults aged 18 and older in this region engage in this behavior / fall into this risk category. Additionally, an estimated 35.9% of 02121 residents aged 18 and older are directly connected to the risk behavior defined as no leisure-time physical activity.
| Risk Behavior | Percent of adults* |
|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 14.6% |
| Current smoking | 19.8% |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 35.9% |
| Obesity | 35.2% |
| Sleeping less than 7 hours | 41.6% |
Both age and income are strongly associated with health and mortality across regions. Income influences health and longevity through various factors. Additionally, income and health can create what is known as the health-poverty trap, where poor health and income disparity become interconnected. And regarding age, those 62 years and older are statistically more likely to encounter diseases and chronic conditions.
The median age of 33.0 years in ZIP Code 02121 is 16% lower than the Massachusetts median age of 39.5 years and is 13% lower than the overall U.S. median age of 38.1 years. An estimated 15.6% of residents in this Dorchester, MA region are at least 62 years old, which compares to 19.9% of Massachusetts residents and 19.2% of the country in its entirety. Approximately 29.8% of the population in ZIP Code 02121 is living below the poverty line, which is 326% higher than the percentage of the population in Massachusetts living below the poverty line (7.0%) and 214% higher than the percentage of the overall U.S. population living in poverty (9.5%).
A comparison of income levels in ZIP Code 02121, the state of Massachusetts, and also in the U.S. as a whole.
See the table below for the regional comparison of income levels.
| Income | ZIP 02121 | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,500 | $81,215 | $62,843 |
| Mean household income | $55,135 | $111,498 | $88,607 |
| Per capita income | $21,212 | $43,761 | $34,103 |
| Median earnings (male) | $43,540 | $68,665 | $53,275 |
| Median earnings (female) | $41,257 | $56,036 | $43,022 |
See the table below for the regional comparison of age.
| Age | ZIP 02121 | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 years | 5.2% | 6.5% | 6.2% |
| 65 to 74 years | 7.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 75 to 84 years | 3.2% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| 85 years and over | 1.7% | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| Under 18 years | 26.2% | 20.0% | 22.6% |
| 62 years and over | 15.6% | 19.9% | 19.2% |
See the chart below for an age comparison in ZIP Code 02121, Massachusetts, and also in the U.S. overall.
* Health data for ZIP 02121 courtesy of loquol.
