Health Profile of Walker County, Alabama
Walker 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
Walker County Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Walker County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 71.4 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.6% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 23.4% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Walker County is 71.4 years, about 3.3 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 9.6%, higher than the Alabama average of 9.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 23.4% of residents, lower than the Alabama average of 23.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
25,285 residents in Walker County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,306 362 men · 943 women
- 75–84 3,685 1,568 men · 2,117 women
- 65–74 7,219 3,278 men · 3,940 women
- 50–64 13,075 6,425 men · 6,650 women
Younger residents
13,727 residents in Walker County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 4,310 2,228 boys · 2,082 girls
- 7–12 4,169 2,217 boys · 1,952 girls
- 3–7 3,060 1,637 boys · 1,423 girls
- 0–3 2,188 1,140 boys · 1,048 girls
About 7,478 residents in Walker County (11.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 71.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Walker County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.5% | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.0% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.8% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.7% | 41.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Walker County are about the same as in Alabama.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Walker County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.0% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.4% | 13.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 32.1% | 32.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Walker County are about the same as in Alabama.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 120,091 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 43.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 482.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Walker County is 71.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 13 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 | Walker County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.69 | 7.76 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Walker County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Walker County, AL Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Walker County, AL is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 64,822 residents against a local median of 90,566. Nothing separates Walker County, AL sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 8% above the local median at 9.6% against 8.9%. Walker County, AL has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County, AL | 64,822 | 71.4 yrs #6/6 | 9.6% #5/6 | 37.7% #1/6 |
| Winston County, AL | 23,682 | 75.0 yrs | 8.9% | 40.7% |
| Fayette County, AL | 16,053 | 73.4 yrs | 7.7% | 39.2% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 666,272 | 74.2 yrs | 9.4% | 40.1% |
| Cullman County, AL | 90,566 | 75.2 yrs | 10.9% | 38.7% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 237,556 | 75.0 yrs | 6.7% | 40.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Walker 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 Walker County, Alabama.
How healthy is Walker County, Alabama?
Walker 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 Walker County, Alabama one of the healthiest counties in Alabama?
Walker County ranks 50th 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.
What is the average lifespan in Walker County, Alabama?
People in Walker County, Alabama can expect to live 71.4 years on average, 3.3 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7.
What is the uninsured rate in Walker County, Alabama?
9.6% of residents in Walker County, Alabama have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, about the same as the Alabama rate of 9.2%.
How common is obesity in Walker County, Alabama?
37.7% of adults in Walker County, Alabama are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.6 points below the Alabama rate of 41.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Walker County, Alabama go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 120,091 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 43.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 482.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Walker County is 71.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 13 lifetimes a year.
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