Health Profile of Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles 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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B
Los Angeles County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Los Angeles County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.2% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.5% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Los Angeles County is 80.6 years, about 0.9 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 8.2%, higher than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.5% of residents, higher than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
3,173,703 residents in Los Angeles County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 188,600 66,879 men · 121,721 women
- 75–84 408,386 172,958 men · 235,428 women
- 65–74 764,949 349,599 men · 415,350 women
- 50–64 1,811,768 896,068 men · 915,700 women
Younger residents
1,991,369 residents in Los Angeles County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 623,405 321,841 boys · 301,565 girls
- 7–12 584,389 300,833 boys · 283,556 girls
- 3–7 446,523 228,360 boys · 218,163 girls
- 0–3 337,052 172,442 boys · 164,610 girls
About 341,137 residents in Los Angeles County (3.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Los Angeles County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.0% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.7% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.9% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.0% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Los Angeles County is about 25% lower than in California. The rate of heart disease in Los Angeles County is about 23% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Los Angeles County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.1% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Los Angeles County is about 21% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8.6 million cigarettes a day, 257.0 million a month, or 3.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 94.2 million minutes a day and 34.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Los Angeles County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.23 lifetimes a day, or 812 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 | Los Angeles County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 10.60 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 10.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Los Angeles County is moderate — acceptable air quality, though unusually sensitive individuals may notice effects.
Los Angeles County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Los Angeles County, CA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 9,796,997 residents against a local median of 915,060. Nothing separates Los Angeles 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, 13% above the local median at 8.2% against 7.3%. Los Angeles County, CA has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | 80.6 yrs #5/6 | 8.2% #5/6 | 29.0% #4/6 |
| Orange County, CA | 3,164,225 | 81.6 yrs | 6.4% | 23.7% |
| Ventura County, CA | 836,943 | 81.0 yrs | 7.3% | 29.0% |
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | 76.7 yrs | 7.8% | 34.8% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | 81.3 yrs | 8.7% | 28.9% |
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | 80.8 yrs | 6.4% | 28.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Los Angeles County, 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 Los Angeles County, California.
What is the health grade for Los Angeles County, California?
Los Angeles County, 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.
Is Los Angeles County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
Los Angeles County ranks 21st 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 average lifespan in Los Angeles County, California?
People in Los Angeles County, California can expect to live 80.6 years on average, 0.9 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What percentage of Los Angeles County, California residents are uninsured?
8.2% of residents in Los Angeles County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 1.6 points above the California rate of 6.6%.
What percentage of Los Angeles County, California residents are obese?
29.0% of adults in Los Angeles County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.6 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Los Angeles County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8.6 million cigarettes a day, 257.0 million a month, or 3.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 94.2 million minutes a day and 34.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Los Angeles County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.23 lifetimes a day, or 812 lifetimes a year.
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