Health Profile of Ouachita County, Arkansas
Ouachita 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
Ouachita County Below averageLess healthy than 80% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Ouachita County | Arkansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.9% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 26.2% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Ouachita County is 75.5 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the Arkansas average of 75.5 years. The uninsured rate is 6.9%, lower than the Arkansas average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 26.3% of residents, higher than the Arkansas average of 22.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
9,045 residents in Ouachita County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 552 204 men · 348 women
- 75–84 1,274 501 men · 772 women
- 65–74 2,521 1,166 men · 1,355 women
- 50–64 4,699 2,186 men · 2,513 women
Younger residents
4,749 residents in Ouachita County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,529 778 boys · 751 girls
- 7–12 1,403 695 boys · 708 girls
- 3–7 1,037 520 boys · 517 girls
- 0–3 780 402 boys · 378 girls
About 1,758 residents in Ouachita County (8.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Ouachita County | Arkansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 16.4% | 13.7% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.2% | 7.1% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.3% | 8.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.4% | 39.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Ouachita County is about 20% higher than in Arkansas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Ouachita County | Arkansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.1% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.4% | 13.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 38.1% | 33.0% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Ouachita County is about 15% higher than in Arkansas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,337 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 15.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 454,706 minutes a day and 166.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ouachita County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.19 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 | Ouachita County | Arkansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.75 | 7.47 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Ouachita County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Ouachita County, AR Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Ouachita County, AR is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 22,085 residents against a local median of 8,159. Ouachita County, AR's uninsured, at 6.9%, runs 24% above the 5.6% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.6% on uninsured, so Ouachita County, AR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ouachita County, AR has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita County, AR | 22,085 | 75.5 yrs #2/6 | 6.9% #5/6 | 40.4% #4/6 |
| Calhoun County, AR | 4,704 | 74.6 yrs | 4.8% | 37.6% |
| Nevada County, AR | 8,159 | 74.3 yrs | 6.7% | 42.3% |
| Dallas County, AR | 6,237 | 74.2 yrs | 3.9% | 39.5% |
| Union County, AR | 37,897 | 74.1 yrs | 5.6% | 44.0% |
| Columbia County, AR | 22,349 | 77.1 yrs | 7.5% | 40.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Ouachita County, Arkansas has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with Arkansas, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Ouachita County, Arkansas.
How healthy is Ouachita County, Arkansas?
Ouachita County, Arkansas 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 Ouachita County, Arkansas one of the healthiest counties in Arkansas?
Ouachita County ranks 60th healthiest out of 75 counties in Arkansas by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Ouachita County, Arkansas?
People in Ouachita County, Arkansas can expect to live 75.5 years on average, about the same as the Arkansas average of 75.5.
What percentage of Ouachita County, Arkansas residents are uninsured?
6.9% of residents in Ouachita County, Arkansas have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 2.1 points below the Arkansas rate of 9.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Ouachita County, Arkansas?
40.4% of adults in Ouachita County, Arkansas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 1.4 points above the Arkansas rate of 39.0%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Ouachita County, Arkansas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,337 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 15.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 454,706 minutes a day and 166.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ouachita County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.19 lifetimes a year.
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