Health Profile of Shelby County, Alabama
Shelby 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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B
Shelby County Around averageHealthiest county in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.4% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.7% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Shelby County is 78.2 years, about 3.5 years longer than the Alabama average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 6.4%, lower than the Alabama average of 9.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.7% of residents, lower than the Alabama average of 23.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
77,630 residents in Shelby County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,935 1,046 men · 1,888 women
- 75–84 9,483 4,089 men · 5,394 women
- 65–74 19,801 9,218 men · 10,583 women
- 50–64 45,411 21,961 men · 23,450 women
Younger residents
51,008 residents in Shelby County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 17,044 8,690 boys · 8,354 girls
- 7–12 15,409 7,799 boys · 7,611 girls
- 3–7 10,883 5,496 boys · 5,387 girls
- 0–3 7,671 3,878 boys · 3,794 girls
About 8,697 residents in Shelby County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.6% | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.9% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.5% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.3% | 41.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Shelby County is about 36% lower than in Alabama. The rate of heart disease in Shelby County is about 33% lower than in Alabama. The rate of obesity in Shelby County is about 19% lower than in Alabama.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.6% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.5% | 13.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.9% | 32.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Shelby County is about 32% lower than in Alabama. The rate of smoking in Shelby County is about 30% lower than in Alabama. The rate of binge drinking in Shelby County is about 21% higher than in Alabama.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 277,031 cigarettes a day, 8.3 million a month, or 101.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.0 million minutes a day and 1.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Shelby County is 78.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 27 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 | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.53 | 7.76 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Shelby County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Shelby County, AL Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, AL is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 230,211 residents against a local median of 45,992. The measure that sets Shelby County, AL apart most is uninsured: 6.4%, 21% below the local median of 8.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 33.3% against a local median of 40.1%, 17% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Shelby County, AL is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 4.3% on uninsured, so Shelby County, AL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, AL has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, AL | 230,211 | 78.2 yrs #1/6 | 6.4% #1/6 | 33.3% #1/6 |
| Jefferson County, AL | 666,272 | 74.2 yrs | 9.4% | 40.1% |
| Chilton County, AL | 45,992 | 73.9 yrs | 11.1% | 38.4% |
| Talladega County, AL | 81,021 | 72.7 yrs | 8.1% | 42.1% |
| Coosa County, AL | 10,300 | 77.9 yrs | 7.6% | 42.0% |
| Bibb County, AL | 22,130 | 73.6 yrs | 6.9% | 38.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Shelby County, Alabama has an overall health index grade of B, making it far better than Alabama, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Shelby County, Alabama.
Is Shelby County, Alabama a healthy place to live?
Shelby County, Alabama has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Shelby County, Alabama one of the healthiest counties in Alabama?
Yes. Shelby County ranks 1st of 67 counties in Alabama by the Map AI Health Index, making it the healthiest of them all.
How long do people live in Shelby County, Alabama?
People in Shelby County, Alabama can expect to live 78.2 years on average, 3.5 years longer than the Alabama average of 74.7.
What percentage of Shelby County, Alabama residents are uninsured?
6.4% of residents in Shelby County, Alabama have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 2.8 points below the Alabama rate of 9.2%.
What is the obesity rate in Shelby County, Alabama?
33.3% of adults in Shelby County, Alabama are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 8.0 points below the Alabama rate of 41.3%.
Which health problem stands out most in Shelby County, Alabama?
Compared with Alabama as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 16.5%, about 21% higher than the Alabama rate of 13.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Shelby County, Alabama go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 277,031 cigarettes a day, 8.3 million a month, or 101.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.0 million minutes a day and 1.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Shelby County is 78.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 27 lifetimes a year.
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