Health Profile of Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara 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+
Santa Clara County Top gradeAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Santa Clara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 82.7 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 3.9% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Santa Clara County is 82.7 years, about 3.0 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 3.9%, lower than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.9% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
609,262 residents in Santa Clara County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 35,848 13,154 men · 22,694 women
- 75–84 80,344 35,171 men · 45,173 women
- 65–74 143,739 67,077 men · 76,662 women
- 50–64 349,330 176,631 men · 172,699 women
Younger residents
384,265 residents in Santa Clara County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 120,228 61,780 boys · 58,448 girls
- 7–12 112,164 57,619 boys · 54,545 girls
- 3–7 86,759 44,597 boys · 42,162 girls
- 0–3 65,115 33,463 boys · 31,652 girls
About 51,891 residents in Santa Clara County (2.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 82.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Santa Clara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.3% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.0% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.1% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 21.6% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Santa Clara County is about 36% lower than in California. The rate of obesity in Santa Clara County is about 29% lower than in California. The rate of diabetes in Santa Clara County is about 21% lower than in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Santa Clara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 8.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.6% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.4% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Santa Clara County is about 36% lower than in California. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Santa Clara County is about 16% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.3 million cigarettes a day, 40.4 million a month, or 491.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 14.8 million minutes a day and 5.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Santa Clara County is 82.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.34 lifetimes a day, or 125 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 | Santa Clara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.47 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Santa Clara County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Santa Clara County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Santa Clara County, CA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,901,257 residents against a local median of 733,246. Where Santa Clara County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is obesity, sitting 20% below the local median of 27.2% at 21.6%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 3.9% against a local median of 4.6%, 16% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Santa Clara County, CA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 11.4% on obesity, so Santa Clara County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Santa Clara County, CA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | 1,901,257 | 82.7 yrs #2/6 | 3.9% #2/6 | 21.6% #1/6 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 264,809 | 81.4 yrs | 4.9% | 27.2% |
| Alameda County, CA | 1,648,382 | 80.8 yrs | 4.0% | 25.3% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 733,246 | 82.7 yrs | 3.8% | 21.9% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 1,163,035 | 80.8 yrs | 4.6% | 28.7% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 553,305 | 77.6 yrs | 5.6% | 33.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Santa Clara County, California has an overall health index grade of A+, making it notably better than California, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Santa Clara County, California.
How healthy is Santa Clara County, California?
Santa Clara 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 among the healthiest and longest-living in the country.
Is Santa Clara County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
Santa Clara County ranks 3rd 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 Santa Clara County, California?
People in Santa Clara County, California can expect to live 82.7 years on average, 3.0 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What percentage of Santa Clara County, California residents are uninsured?
3.9% of residents in Santa Clara County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 26 people, 2.7 points below the California rate of 6.6%.
How common is obesity in Santa Clara County, California?
21.6% of adults in Santa Clara County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 5, 9.0 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Santa Clara County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.3 million cigarettes a day, 40.4 million a month, or 491.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 14.8 million minutes a day and 5.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Santa Clara County is 82.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.34 lifetimes a day, or 125 lifetimes a year.
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