Health Profile of Cherokee County, Alabama
Cherokee County 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
Cherokee County Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Cherokee County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 74.1 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.2% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 22.8% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Cherokee County is 74.1 years, about 0.6 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 7.2%, lower than the Alabama average of 9.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 22.8% of residents, lower than the Alabama average of 23.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
11,414 residents in Cherokee County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 493 123 men · 370 women
- 75–84 1,659 786 men · 873 women
- 65–74 3,437 1,686 men · 1,751 women
- 50–64 5,825 2,907 men · 2,918 women
Younger residents
4,619 residents in Cherokee County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,556 754 boys · 801 girls
- 7–12 1,375 655 boys · 720 girls
- 3–7 969 475 boys · 494 girls
- 0–3 720 363 boys · 357 girls
About 2,437 residents in Cherokee County (9.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 74.1 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Cherokee County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.2% | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.6% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.1% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.6% | 41.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Cherokee County are about the same as in Alabama.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Cherokee County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.5% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.5% | 13.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 31.3% | 32.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Cherokee County are about the same as in Alabama.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 48,650 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 17.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 535,155 minutes a day and 195.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cherokee County is 74.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.02 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 | Cherokee County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.48 | 7.76 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Cherokee County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Cherokee County, AL Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Cherokee County, AL is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 25,443 residents against a local median of 72,266. The measure that sets Cherokee County, AL apart most is uninsured: 7.2%, 45% below the local median of 13.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 4.1% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Cherokee County, AL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Cherokee County, AL has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, AL | 25,443 | 74.1 yrs #3/6 | 7.2% #1/6 | 42.6% #5/6 |
| DeKalb County, AL | 72,266 | 75.0 yrs | 15.5% | 42.0% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 25,036 | 72.9 yrs | 13.1% | 38.3% |
| Floyd County, GA | 99,681 | 75.6 yrs | 13.5% | 38.0% |
| Etowah County, AL | 103,105 | 72.5 yrs | 11.4% | 42.9% |
| Polk County, GA | 43,785 | 73.7 yrs | 12.0% | 39.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Cherokee County, Alabama has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Alabama, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Cherokee County, Alabama.
Is Cherokee County, Alabama a healthy place to live?
Cherokee County, 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.
Is Cherokee County, Alabama one of the healthiest counties in Alabama?
Cherokee County ranks 39th healthiest out of 67 counties in Alabama by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Cherokee County, Alabama?
People in Cherokee County, Alabama can expect to live 74.1 years on average, 0.6 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7.
What percentage of Cherokee County, Alabama residents are uninsured?
7.2% of residents in Cherokee County, Alabama have no health insurance, about 1 in 14 people, 2.0 points below the Alabama rate of 9.2%.
What percentage of Cherokee County, Alabama residents are obese?
42.6% of adults in Cherokee County, Alabama are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 1.3 points above the Alabama rate of 41.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Cherokee County, Alabama go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 48,650 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 17.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 535,155 minutes a day and 195.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cherokee County is 74.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.02 lifetimes a year.
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