Health Profile of San Diego County, California
San Diego 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
San Diego County Above averageHealthier than 75% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | San Diego County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.4% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.0% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in San Diego County is 80.8 years, about 1.1 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 14.0% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
1,035,810 residents in San Diego County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 58,275 23,155 men · 35,120 women
- 75–84 139,624 61,217 men · 78,406 women
- 65–74 261,302 121,818 men · 139,483 women
- 50–64 576,609 285,929 men · 290,681 women
Younger residents
663,766 residents in San Diego County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 204,638 105,730 boys · 98,908 girls
- 7–12 194,983 100,221 boys · 94,762 girls
- 3–7 150,029 76,609 boys · 73,420 girls
- 0–3 114,116 58,394 boys · 55,722 girls
About 107,670 residents in San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.8% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.4% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.9% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.4% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in San Diego County is about 23% lower than in California. The rate of diabetes in San Diego County is about 16% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | San Diego County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.3% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.0% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.6% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in San Diego County is about 19% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 2.9 million cigarettes a day, 88.4 million a month, or 1.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 32.4 million minutes a day and 11.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in San Diego County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.76 lifetimes a day, or 279 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 | San Diego County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 10.64 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 10.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in San Diego County is moderate — acceptable air quality, though unusually sensitive individuals may notice effects.
San Diego County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
San Diego County, CA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 3,282,387 residents against a local median of 2,477,722. San Diego County, CA's obesity, at 28.4%, runs 17% below the 34.4% typical of the counties around it. 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 San Diego County, CA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 15.8% on obesity, so San Diego County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Diego County, CA has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | 80.8 yrs #2/6 | 6.4% #2/6 | 28.4% #2/6 |
| Riverside County, CA | 2,477,722 | 79.0 yrs | 7.7% | 34.4% |
| Orange County, CA | 3,164,225 | 81.6 yrs | 6.4% | 23.7% |
| Imperial County, CA | 180,111 | 80.0 yrs | 6.0% | 35.8% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | 80.6 yrs | 8.2% | 29.0% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 2,193,778 | 78.1 yrs | 8.0% | 39.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, San Diego 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 San Diego County, California.
What is the health grade for San Diego County, California?
San Diego 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 San Diego County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
San Diego County ranks 15th 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 San Diego County, California?
People in San Diego County, California can expect to live 80.8 years on average, 1.1 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
How many people lack health insurance in San Diego County, California?
6.4% of residents in San Diego 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 San Diego County, California?
28.4% of adults in San Diego County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 2.2 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in San Diego County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 2.9 million cigarettes a day, 88.4 million a month, or 1.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 32.4 million minutes a day and 11.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in San Diego County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.76 lifetimes a day, or 279 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 →