Health Profile of San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo 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
San Luis Obispo County Above averageHealthier than 77% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.7% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.1% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in San Luis Obispo County is 80.3 years, about 0.6 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 5.7%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.1% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
108,183 residents in San Luis Obispo County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 6,753 2,993 men · 3,760 women
- 75–84 16,355 7,293 men · 9,063 women
- 65–74 31,576 14,938 men · 16,639 women
- 50–64 53,498 26,182 men · 27,316 women
Younger residents
47,277 residents in San Luis Obispo County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 15,443 8,235 boys · 7,209 girls
- 7–12 14,111 7,208 boys · 6,903 girls
- 3–7 10,284 5,043 boys · 5,241 girls
- 0–3 7,439 3,736 boys · 3,703 girls
About 12,761 residents in San Luis Obispo County (4.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.9% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.8% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.0% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 27.4% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in San Luis Obispo County is about 15% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.1% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.3% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in San Luis Obispo County is about 17% lower than in California. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in San Luis Obispo County is about 16% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 268,986 cigarettes a day, 8.1 million a month, or 98.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.0 million minutes a day and 1.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in San Luis Obispo County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 26 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 Luis Obispo County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.52 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in San Luis Obispo County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
San Luis Obispo County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
San Luis Obispo County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 281,514 residents against a local median of 437,328. Where San Luis Obispo County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 22% below the local median of 7.3% at 5.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.6% on uninsured, so San Luis Obispo County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Luis Obispo County, CA has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 281,514 | 80.3 yrs #4/6 | 5.7% #1/6 | 27.4% #1/6 |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | 78.4 yrs | 7.3% | 35.1% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | 81.3 yrs | 8.7% | 28.9% |
| Monterey County, CA | 437,328 | 80.8 yrs | 9.6% | 30.8% |
| San Benito County, CA | 67,290 | 82.4 yrs | 6.0% | 31.8% |
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | 78.4 yrs | 6.7% | 34.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County, California.
How healthy is San Luis Obispo County, California?
San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
San Luis Obispo County ranks 14th 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 Luis Obispo County, California?
People in San Luis Obispo County, California can expect to live 80.3 years on average, 0.6 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What is the uninsured rate in San Luis Obispo County, California?
5.7% of residents in San Luis Obispo County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 18 people, 0.9 points below the California rate of 6.6%.
What percentage of San Luis Obispo County, California residents are obese?
27.4% of adults in San Luis Obispo County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 3.2 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in San Luis Obispo County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 268,986 cigarettes a day, 8.1 million a month, or 98.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.0 million minutes a day and 1.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in San Luis Obispo County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 26 lifetimes a year.
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