Health Profile of Alameda County, California
Alameda 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.
-
A
Alameda County Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Alameda County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.0% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Alameda County is 80.8 years, about 1.2 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 4.0%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.4% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
535,333 residents in Alameda County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 30,895 10,753 men · 20,143 women
- 75–84 67,015 28,501 men · 38,514 women
- 65–74 130,919 60,564 men · 70,355 women
- 50–64 306,503 154,746 men · 151,757 women
Younger residents
313,886 residents in Alameda County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 96,336 49,545 boys · 46,792 girls
- 7–12 92,315 47,515 boys · 44,800 girls
- 3–7 71,671 36,821 boys · 34,850 girls
- 0–3 53,563 27,442 boys · 26,121 girls
About 54,442 residents in Alameda County (3.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Alameda County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.0% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.0% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.4% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 25.3% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Alameda County is about 31% lower than in California. The rate of cancer in Alameda County is about 21% lower than in California. The rate of obesity in Alameda County is about 17% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Alameda County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 10.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.1% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.9% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Alameda County is about 24% lower than in California. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Alameda County is about 18% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.4 million cigarettes a day, 42.0 million a month, or 511.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 15.4 million minutes a day and 5.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Alameda County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.36 lifetimes a day, or 132 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 | Alameda County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.75 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Alameda County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Alameda County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Alameda County, CA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,648,382 residents against a local median of 733,246. Nothing separates Alameda County, CA 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, 14% below the local median at 4.0% against 4.6%. Alameda County, CA has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | 1,648,382 | 80.8 yrs #4/6 | 4.0% #3/6 | 25.3% #3/6 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 1,163,035 | 80.8 yrs | 4.6% | 28.7% |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 1,901,257 | 82.7 yrs | 3.9% | 21.6% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 733,246 | 82.7 yrs | 3.8% | 21.9% |
| Solano County, CA | 451,581 | 78.8 yrs | 4.8% | 30.4% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 264,809 | 81.4 yrs | 4.9% | 27.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Alameda County, California has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than California, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Alameda County, California.
What is the health grade for Alameda County, California?
Alameda County, California has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Alameda County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
Alameda County ranks 5th healthiest out of 58 counties in California by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Alameda County, California?
People in Alameda County, California can expect to live 80.8 years on average, 1.2 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Alameda County, California?
4.0% of residents in Alameda County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 25 people, 2.6 points below the California rate of 6.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Alameda County, California?
25.3% of adults in Alameda County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 5.3 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Alameda County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.4 million cigarettes a day, 42.0 million a month, or 511.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 15.4 million minutes a day and 5.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Alameda County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.36 lifetimes a day, or 132 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →