diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 4711c1d1..4bb646ee 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2355,6 +2355,40 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi 0.3.9",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "num"
+version = "0.4.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "43db66d1170d347f9a065114077f7dccb00c1b9478c89384490a3425279a4606"
+dependencies = [
+ "num-bigint",
+ "num-complex",
+ "num-integer",
+ "num-iter",
+ "num-rational",
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "num-bigint"
+version = "0.4.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f93ab6289c7b344a8a9f60f88d80aa20032336fe78da341afc91c8a2341fc75f"
+dependencies = [
+ "autocfg",
+ "num-integer",
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "num-complex"
+version = "0.4.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7ae39348c8bc5fbd7f40c727a9925f03517afd2ab27d46702108b6a7e5414c19"
+dependencies = [
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "num-integer"
 version = "0.1.45"
@@ -2365,6 +2399,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "num-traits",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "num-iter"
+version = "0.1.43"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7d03e6c028c5dc5cac6e2dec0efda81fc887605bb3d884578bb6d6bf7514e252"
+dependencies = [
+ "autocfg",
+ "num-integer",
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "num-rational"
+version = "0.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0638a1c9d0a3c0914158145bc76cff373a75a627e6ecbfb71cbe6f453a5a19b0"
+dependencies = [
+ "autocfg",
+ "num-bigint",
+ "num-integer",
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "num-traits"
 version = "0.2.15"
@@ -4146,6 +4203,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "hashbrown 0.12.1",
  "linkedhashmap",
  "notify",
+ "num",
  "parking_lot 0.12.1",
  "proctitle",
  "redis-cell-client",
diff --git a/web3-proxy/Cargo.toml b/web3-proxy/Cargo.toml
index 9b5adda7..6eee34db 100644
--- a/web3-proxy/Cargo.toml
+++ b/web3-proxy/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ futures = { version = "0.3.21", features = ["thread-pool"] }
 hashbrown = "0.12.1"
 linkedhashmap = { path = "../linkedhashmap", features = ["inline-more"] }
 notify = "4.0.17"
+num = "0.4"
 redis-cell-client = { path = "../redis-cell-client" }
 # TODO: parking_lot has an "arc_lock" feature that we might want to use
 parking_lot = "0.12.1"
diff --git a/web3-proxy/src/app.rs b/web3-proxy/src/app.rs
index 58c7a112..925bd2fe 100644
--- a/web3-proxy/src/app.rs
+++ b/web3-proxy/src/app.rs
@@ -693,10 +693,7 @@ impl Web3ProxyApp {
                     return Err(anyhow::anyhow!("no servers synced"));
                 }
 
-                // TODO: this seems pretty common. make a helper?
-                let partial_response = format!("{:x}", head_block_number);
-
-                let response = JsonRpcForwardedResponse::from_string(partial_response, request.id);
+                let response = JsonRpcForwardedResponse::from_number(head_block_number, request.id);
 
                 Ok(response)
             }
@@ -758,12 +755,10 @@ impl Web3ProxyApp {
                 Ok(response)
             }
             "net_peerCount" => {
-                let partial_response = serde_json::Value::String(format!(
-                    "{:x}",
-                    self.balanced_rpcs.num_synced_rpcs()
-                ));
-
-                let response = JsonRpcForwardedResponse::from_value(partial_response, request.id);
+                let response = JsonRpcForwardedResponse::from_number(
+                    self.balanced_rpcs.num_synced_rpcs(),
+                    request.id,
+                );
 
                 Ok(response)
             }
diff --git a/web3-proxy/src/jsonrpc.rs b/web3-proxy/src/jsonrpc.rs
index f500d17b..801e6ff1 100644
--- a/web3-proxy/src/jsonrpc.rs
+++ b/web3-proxy/src/jsonrpc.rs
@@ -180,23 +180,14 @@ impl JsonRpcForwardedResponse {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn try_from_response_result(
-        result: Result<Box<RawValue>, ProviderError>,
+    pub fn from_number<T: num::Integer + std::fmt::LowerHex>(
+        partial_response: T,
         id: Box<RawValue>,
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
-        match result {
-            Ok(response) => Ok(Self::from_response(response, id)),
-            Err(e) => Self::from_ethers_error(e, id),
-        }
-    }
-
-    pub fn from_string(partial_response: String, id: Box<RawValue>) -> Self {
-        trace!("partial_response: {}", partial_response);
-        // TODO: anyhow result on this
+    ) -> Self {
         // TODO: proper escaping. this feels wrong. probably refactor to not need this at all
-        let partial_response = RawValue::from_string(format!(r#""{}""#, partial_response)).unwrap();
+        let partial_response = format!("0x{:x}", partial_response);
 
-        Self::from_response(partial_response, id)
+        Self::from_string(partial_response, id)
     }
 
     pub fn from_response(partial_response: Box<RawValue>, id: Box<RawValue>) -> Self {
@@ -209,6 +200,15 @@ impl JsonRpcForwardedResponse {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn from_string(partial_response: String, id: Box<RawValue>) -> Self {
+        trace!("partial_response: {}", partial_response);
+        // TODO: anyhow result on this
+        // TODO: proper escaping. this feels wrong. probably refactor to not need this at all
+        let partial_response = RawValue::from_string(format!(r#""{}""#, partial_response)).unwrap();
+
+        Self::from_response(partial_response, id)
+    }
+
     pub fn from_value(partial_response: serde_json::Value, id: Box<RawValue>) -> Self {
         let partial_response =
             serde_json::to_string(&partial_response).expect("this should always work");
@@ -282,6 +282,16 @@ impl JsonRpcForwardedResponse {
             }),
         })
     }
+
+    pub fn try_from_response_result(
+        result: Result<Box<RawValue>, ProviderError>,
+        id: Box<RawValue>,
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
+        match result {
+            Ok(response) => Ok(Self::from_response(response, id)),
+            Err(e) => Self::from_ethers_error(e, id),
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// JSONRPC Responses can include one or many response objects.