Health Profile of Orange County, California
Orange 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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A
Orange County Above averageHealthier than 91% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Orange County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.4% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.3% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Orange County is 81.6 years, about 2.0 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 6.4%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.3% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
1,095,809 residents in Orange County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 64,756 23,344 men · 41,412 women
- 75–84 142,723 61,771 men · 80,952 women
- 65–74 261,352 121,542 men · 139,810 women
- 50–64 626,978 309,028 men · 317,950 women
Younger residents
641,103 residents in Orange County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 206,691 106,792 boys · 99,899 girls
- 7–12 189,015 97,516 boys · 91,499 girls
- 3–7 140,719 72,195 boys · 68,524 girls
- 0–3 104,678 53,663 boys · 51,015 girls
About 105,448 residents in Orange County (3.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Orange County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.9% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.5% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.8% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 23.7% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Orange County is about 25% lower than in California. The rate of obesity in Orange County is about 22% lower than in California. The rate of diabetes in Orange County is about 15% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Orange County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 10.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.5% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.2% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Orange County is about 22% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 2.7 million cigarettes a day, 81.1 million a month, or 986.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 29.7 million minutes a day and 10.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orange County is 81.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.69 lifetimes a day, or 253 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 | Orange County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 11.44 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 11.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Orange County is moderate — acceptable air quality, though unusually sensitive individuals may notice effects.
Orange County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Orange County, CA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 3,164,225 residents against a local median of 2,477,722. The measure that sets Orange County, CA apart most is obesity: 23.7%, 18% below the local median of 29.0%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 6.4% against a local median of 7.7%, 17% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Orange County, CA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 6.4% on obesity, so Orange County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Orange County, CA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, CA | 3,164,225 | 81.6 yrs #1/6 | 6.4% #2/6 | 23.7% #1/6 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | 80.6 yrs | 8.2% | 29.0% |
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | 80.8 yrs | 6.4% | 28.4% |
| Ventura County, CA | 836,943 | 81.0 yrs | 7.3% | 29.0% |
| Riverside County, CA | 2,477,722 | 79.0 yrs | 7.7% | 34.4% |
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | 76.7 yrs | 7.8% | 34.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Orange 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 Orange County, California.
What is the health grade for Orange County, California?
Orange 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 Orange County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
Orange County ranks 6th 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 Orange County, California?
People in Orange County, California can expect to live 81.6 years on average, 2.0 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What percentage of Orange County, California residents are uninsured?
6.4% of residents in Orange County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, about the same as the California rate of 6.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Orange County, California?
23.7% of adults in Orange County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 6.9 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Orange County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 2.7 million cigarettes a day, 81.1 million a month, or 986.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 29.7 million minutes a day and 10.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orange County is 81.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.69 lifetimes a day, or 253 lifetimes a year.
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