Health Profile of El Cajon, California
El Cajon 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
El Cajon Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | El Cajon | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.5% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in El Cajon is 76.9 years, about 2.7 years shorter than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 6.5%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.8% of residents, higher than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
28,813 residents in El Cajon are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,704 592 men · 1,113 women
- 75–84 3,657 1,541 men · 2,116 women
- 65–74 7,015 3,197 men · 3,818 women
- 50–64 16,436 8,189 men · 8,247 women
Younger residents
24,138 residents in El Cajon are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,959 3,516 boys · 3,443 girls
- 7–12 7,095 3,583 boys · 3,513 girls
- 3–7 5,715 2,840 boys · 2,875 girls
- 0–3 4,370 2,204 boys · 2,166 girls
About 4,492 residents in El Cajon (4.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | El Cajon | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.4% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.7% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.1% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in El Cajon are about the same as in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | El Cajon | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.2% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 24.1% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in El Cajon are about the same as in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 113,969 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 41.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 457.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in El Cajon is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 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 | El Cajon | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 10.52 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 10.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in El Cajon is moderate — acceptable air quality, though unusually sensitive individuals may notice effects.
El Cajon, CA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
El Cajon, CA is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 97,437 residents against a local median of 22,051. El Cajon, CA's uninsured, at 6.5%, runs 59% above the 4.1% typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 32.1% against a local median of 27.9%, 15% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: El Cajon, CA reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The cities themselves sit within 1.2% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and El Cajon, CA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. El Cajon, CA has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Cajon, CA | 97,437 | 76.9 yrs #4/4 | 6.5% #4/4 | 32.1% #4/4 |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA | 22,051 | 81.4 yrs | 2.9% | 27.9% |
| Winter Gardens, CA | 20,903 | 77.1 yrs | 4.1% | 31.0% |
| Rancho San Diego, CA | 22,945 | 81.7 yrs | 4.1% | 27.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, El Cajon, California has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than California, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in El Cajon, California.
How healthy is El Cajon, California?
El Cajon, California 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.
What is the life expectancy in El Cajon, California?
People in El Cajon, California can expect to live 76.9 years on average, 2.7 years shorter than the California average of 79.6.
How many people lack health insurance in El Cajon, California?
6.5% of residents in El Cajon, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, about the same as the California rate of 6.6%.
What percentage of El Cajon, California residents are obese?
32.1% of adults in El Cajon, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.5 points above the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in El Cajon, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 113,969 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 41.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 457.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in El Cajon is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 lifetimes a year.
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