The harsh truth is that the ZIP code you’re born into has more influence on your life expectancy than your genetic code. The CDC recently reported that the gap in life expectancy for Black Americans continues to widen, with Black lives cut short by years compared to other racial groups. Life expectancy for Black Americans sits at 72.8 years, nearly five years less than white Americans and more than eleven years less than Asian Americans.
To unpack what’s behind that gap, we spoke with Tomás León, President and Executive Director of the Equality Health Foundation, which developed the Zip Code Exam to help communities identify and address the everyday conditions that shape health outcomes.
Table of Contents
Beneath the Stats
BHM: Why do racial gaps in life expectancy persist, even after years of awareness?
Tomás León: The ZIP code you’re born into still has more influence on your life expectancy than your genetic code. It’s all rooted in systemic inequalities that have gone unaddressed for too long. The pandemic exacerbated these issues and still has a lingering effect.
These disparities persist because the social determinants of health—education, healthcare, housing, food, air, and opportunity—are still distributed unequally. Structural racism, disinvestment in communities of color, and policy decisions that ignore lived realities all contribute.
BHM: What made this the right moment to launch the Zip Code Exam?
Tomás León: We said, “We need a tool like the Zip Code Exam now.” It’s not enough to raise awareness—we need something to spark actionable, community-driven solutions. It helps uncover the invisible, non-medical forces shaping health and empowers grassroots action. With safety nets unraveling, we need to reignite awareness and point people to solutions. It’s a tool for empowerment, advocacy, and change.
BHM: How do you make the data reflect the real experiences of Black communities?
Tomás León: Data often speaks in averages, and averages erase the lived experiences of people outside the norm. We built a listening and communication tool.
The platform reflects community specificity through hyperlocal data and user-defined priorities. It’s not just about what the data says, it’s about what the community says. We consider cultural context, language access, trusted partners, and relevant resources to meet people where they are. The Zip Code Exam restores agency by saying: your story matters, your neighborhood matters, and your health is not an average, it’s personal.
What Your ZIP Code Says
In 2025, your address can still shape your access to health and even how long you live. In many of our neighborhoods, that impact is baked into the environment.
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, grocery stores are harder to reach in areas with high Black populations. The USDA Economic Research Service reports that 22% of Black households are food insecure, more than twice the rate for white households.
The EPA has shown that Black Americans face higher exposure to air pollution, even when income and region are the same. And the CDC’s USALEEP project maps out ZIP codes in states like Mississippi and Louisiana where the life expectancy difference between neighborhoods just 10 miles apart can be as high as 15 years.
These statistics aren’t solely built on personal choices and coincidence; they’re the results of decades of policy. To go even further, we decided to ask León about how mental health connects to the broader discussion.
Collaborative Health
BHM: You’ve worked in public health, mental health, and policy. How does the Zip Code Exam connect to them?
Tomás León: Bridging mental health, public health, and policy is a moral imperative. Health is not siloed. You can’t achieve physical health without mental health, or improve mental health without addressing the social and environmental conditions people live in.
That’s why the Zip Code Exam doesn’t just visualize disparities, it helps dismantle them. It reflects the full spectrum of health, including care, housing, trauma, stress, and resilience. It connects people to local resources and gives leaders data to push for systemic change. We’re mapping possibilities.
Change in Real Time
BHM: Over 200,000 people have already engaged with the site. Can you share a moment that shows what’s at stake when health becomes a matter of geography?
Tomás León: When over 200,000 people engage with a platform like the Zip Code Exam, it’s a chorus of voices telling us where the system is failing and where hope still lives. One ZIP code that really hit home for me was 85004 in South Phoenix, Arizona. This is where the seed for the Zip Code Exam idea was planted. Arizona became the blueprint. And now, we’re scaling it to help more communities take their health into their own hands.
In that community, life expectancy is fourteen years lower than in more affluent neighborhoods like North Scottsdale, just a few miles away. The exam aids residents, they can bring the data to neighborhood meetings, share it with their elected officials, partner with local community-based organizations, churches, and businesses, and begin advocating for better access to healthcare, affordable housing, healthy food, safer streets, employment opportunities, and walkable space. That’s what’s at stake when health becomes a matter of geography. It’s about the opportunity to reclaim power and rewrite the narrative for the next generation.
Redefining Structural Barriers
BHM: In 2022, only 55% of people were projected to live to age 80. The probability of survival from age 20 to 85 was even lower for Black men. Does the platform offer a kind of digital reckoning with structural risk?
Tomás León: Yes, the Zip Code Exam is absolutely a digital reckoning with that reality. It’s designed to expose the invisible architecture of inequality—how where you live, work, and grow up can shape how long and how well you live. But it’s also a tool for action. It helps individuals understand the risks in their environment, connects them to local resources, and empowers communities to advocate for change.
I want policymakers to see this data and realize these outcomes are not inevitable; they’re the result of choices. And we can make different ones.
Earning Trust
BHM: Some folks may see this as just another dashboard. What do you say to Black families who feel like they’ve seen the numbers, the charts, the promises, but not enough change?
Tomás León: That skepticism is real, and it’s earned. The Black community has heard speeches about equity while living through generations of inequity. So, when someone says, “Here’s another tool,” I understand why the first reaction might be, “So what?” I learned from our well-being work in South Phoenix, Arizona that collective impact and transformation happen at the speed of trust.
What makes the Zip Code Exam different is that it wasn’t built for institutions, it was built for community members and leaders. It shows the numbers and helps you act on them. And we know it’s not perfect. That’s why we welcome feedback from families, organizers, and anyone using the platform. We’re committed to improving it so it truly works with and for communities. Because the only way this tool succeeds is if it reflects the voices and needs of the people it’s meant to serve.
I want community members to use this tool to organize, demand investment, and build healthier futures—ZIP code by ZIP code. We know that behind every data point, there is a life. And behind every life, there is a story worth fighting for.
Resources
ZIP CODE EXAM: Calculate your life expectancy based on your ZIP Code
National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 74, Number 2 April 8, 2025 United States Life Tables, 2022
Equality Health Foundation – Equality Health Foundation
USDA Food Access Research Atlas
Food Security in the U.S. – Key Statistics & Graphics | Economic Research Service
