Health Profile of Foster City, California
Foster City 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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A+
Foster City Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 83.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.2% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 7.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Foster City is 83.8 years, about 4.2 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 2.2%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 7.8% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
10,970 residents in Foster City are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 752 259 men · 492 women
- 75–84 1,757 730 men · 1,027 women
- 65–74 2,746 1,263 men · 1,483 women
- 50–64 5,716 2,697 men · 3,019 women
Younger residents
6,985 residents in Foster City are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,000 1,067 boys · 933 girls
- 7–12 2,089 1,130 boys · 958 girls
- 3–7 1,665 887 boys · 778 girls
- 0–3 1,232 632 boys · 600 girls
About 940 residents in Foster City (2.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 83.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Foster City | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.6% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.6% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 3.9% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 17.9% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of obesity in Foster City is about 42% lower than in California. The rate of heart disease in Foster City is about 39% lower than in California. The rate of diabetes in Foster City is about 27% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Foster City | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 6.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.1% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 13.8% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Foster City is about 51% lower than in California. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Foster City is about 37% lower than in California. The rate of binge drinking in Foster City is about 16% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 17,512 cigarettes a day, 525,355 a month, or 6.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 192,630 minutes a day and 70.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Foster City is 83.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.60 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 | Foster City | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.36 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Foster City is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Foster City, CA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Foster City, CA is the 3rd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 32,669 residents against a local median of 54,957. Foster City, CA's uninsured, at 2.2%, runs 32% below the 3.3% typical of the cities around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 17.9% against a local median of 22.0%, 19% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Foster City, CA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The cities themselves spread 3.8% on uninsured, so Foster City, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Foster City, CA has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster City, CA | 32,669 | 83.8 yrs #3/5 | 2.2% #2/5 | 17.9% #1/5 |
| Redwood City, CA | 82,255 | 81.5 yrs | 4.5% | 25.0% |
| San Mateo, CA | 101,951 | 83.0 yrs | 4.0% | 22.3% |
| Belmont, CA | 24,586 | 84.3 yrs | 2.6% | 20.9% |
| San Carlos, CA | 27,659 | 83.8 yrs | 0.7% | 21.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Foster City, California has an overall health index grade of A+, making it far better than California, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Foster City, California.
Is Foster City, California a healthy place to live?
Foster City, 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 among the healthiest and longest-living in the country.
What is the average lifespan in Foster City, California?
People in Foster City, California can expect to live 83.8 years on average, 4.2 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Foster City, California?
2.2% of residents in Foster City, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 45 people, 4.3 points below the California rate of 6.6%.
What percentage of Foster City, California residents are obese?
17.9% of adults in Foster City, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 6, 12.7 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Foster City, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 17,512 cigarettes a day, 525,355 a month, or 6.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 192,630 minutes a day and 70.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Foster City is 83.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.60 lifetimes a year.
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