Health factors affect illness and death rates, and these rates vary widely across Tennessee counties and ZIP codes. Understanding, identifying, and prioritizing
the differences in health in locations throughout the state is essential to improving population health.
The County & ZIP Health Explorer focuses on how these conditions influence quality of life and lifespan in communities throughout the state. It also provides
information on factors at the ZIP Code level that contribute to these outcomes. For example, if smoking is widespread in a county, identifying the ZIP Codes
with the highest rates of hospital-diagnosed smoking, COPD, and cancer can help define communities of highest need for targeted health interventions.