Health Profile of Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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C
Birmingham Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Birmingham | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 72.3 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.3% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 25.7% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Birmingham is 72.3 years, about 2.4 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 12.3%, higher than the Alabama average of 9.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 25.7% of residents, higher than the Alabama average of 23.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
70,117 residents in Birmingham are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,731 1,067 men · 2,664 women
- 75–84 8,937 3,549 men · 5,388 women
- 65–74 18,650 8,144 men · 10,505 women
- 50–64 38,799 18,025 men · 20,775 women
Younger residents
40,445 residents in Birmingham are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 12,176 6,348 boys · 5,827 girls
- 7–12 11,679 6,040 boys · 5,639 girls
- 3–7 9,328 4,740 boys · 4,588 girls
- 0–3 7,262 3,631 boys · 3,632 girls
About 16,765 residents in Birmingham (8.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 72.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Birmingham | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17.5% | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.6% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.6% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 45.0% | 41.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Birmingham is about 18% higher than in Alabama. The rate of cancer in Birmingham is about 16% lower than in Alabama.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Birmingham | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.2% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.1% | 13.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 32.5% | 32.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Birmingham are about the same as in Alabama.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 334,733 cigarettes a day, 10.0 million a month, or 122.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.7 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Birmingham is 72.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 35 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Birmingham | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.86 | 7.76 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Birmingham is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Birmingham, AL Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Birmingham, AL is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 207,255 residents against a local median of 27,106. The measure that sets Birmingham, AL apart most is uninsured: 12.3%, 177% above the local median of 4.4%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 45.0% against a local median of 29.0%, 55% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Birmingham, AL reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The cities themselves sit within 3.8% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Birmingham, AL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Birmingham, AL has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | 207,255 | 72.3 yrs #4/4 | 12.3% #4/4 | 45.0% #4/4 |
| Homewood, AL | 27,106 | 79.4 yrs | 5.2% | 29.8% |
| Mountain Brook, AL | 23,287 | 81.1 yrs | 1.4% | 29.0% |
| Vestavia Hills, AL | 32,245 | 81.4 yrs | 4.4% | 28.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Birmingham, Alabama has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with Alabama, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Birmingham, Alabama.
What is the health grade for Birmingham, Alabama?
Birmingham, Alabama has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
What is the average lifespan in Birmingham, Alabama?
People in Birmingham, Alabama can expect to live 72.3 years on average, 2.4 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7.
What percentage of Birmingham, Alabama residents are uninsured?
12.3% of residents in Birmingham, Alabama have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 3.1 points above the Alabama rate of 9.2%.
What percentage of Birmingham, Alabama residents are obese?
45.0% of adults in Birmingham, Alabama are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 3.6 points above the Alabama rate of 41.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Birmingham, Alabama go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 334,733 cigarettes a day, 10.0 million a month, or 122.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.7 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Birmingham is 72.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 35 lifetimes a year.
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