Health Profile of Boulder County, Colorado
Boulder 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+
Boulder County Top gradeAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Colorado
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Boulder County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.6 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.4% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 8.5% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Boulder County is 81.6 years, about 1.5 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 4.4%, lower than the Colorado average of 7.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 8.5% of residents, lower than the Colorado average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
106,017 residents in Boulder County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 5,618 1,991 men · 3,627 women
- 75–84 12,230 5,320 men · 6,909 women
- 65–74 26,917 12,903 men · 14,014 women
- 50–64 61,253 30,834 men · 30,419 women
Younger residents
57,414 residents in Boulder County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 19,311 9,870 boys · 9,440 girls
- 7–12 17,119 8,801 boys · 8,318 girls
- 3–7 12,352 6,344 boys · 6,008 girls
- 0–3 8,633 4,417 boys · 4,216 girls
About 8,957 residents in Boulder County (2.7% 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 | Boulder County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 5.8% | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.9% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 17.4% | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Boulder County is about 37% lower than in Colorado. The rate of obesity in Boulder County is about 34% lower than in Colorado. The rate of heart disease in Boulder County is about 30% lower than in Colorado.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Boulder County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.5% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.3% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 12.7% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Boulder County is about 36% lower than in Colorado. The rate of smoking in Boulder County is about 29% lower than in Colorado.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 311,015 cigarettes a day, 9.3 million a month, or 113.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.4 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Boulder County is 81.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 29 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 | Boulder County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.08 | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Boulder County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Boulder County, CO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Boulder County, CO is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 328,961 residents against a local median of 76,305. The measure that sets Boulder County, CO apart most is obesity: 17.4%, 26% below the local median of 23.5%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 4.4% against a local median of 5.3%, 16% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Boulder County, CO is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 1.5% of each other on obesity, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Boulder County, CO, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Boulder County, CO has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder County, CO | 328,961 | 81.6 yrs #3/6 | 4.4% #3/6 | 17.4% #1/6 |
| Gilpin County, CO | 5,901 | 81.8 yrs | 3.9% | 23.5% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 76,305 | 81.0 yrs | 4.4% | 22.8% |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 9,259 | 82.9 yrs | 5.7% | 24.3% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 579,346 | 79.9 yrs | 5.3% | 24.0% |
| Larimer County, CO | 367,243 | 80.4 yrs | 5.6% | 23.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Boulder County, Colorado has an overall health index grade of A+, making it notably better than Colorado, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Boulder County, Colorado.
Is Boulder County, Colorado a healthy place to live?
Boulder County, Colorado 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 Boulder County, Colorado one of the healthiest counties in Colorado?
Boulder County ranks 2nd healthiest out of 62 counties in Colorado by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Boulder County, Colorado?
People in Boulder County, Colorado can expect to live 81.6 years on average, 1.5 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Boulder County, Colorado?
4.4% of residents in Boulder County, Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 23 people, 3.3 points below the Colorado rate of 7.7%.
What is the obesity rate in Boulder County, Colorado?
17.4% of adults in Boulder County, Colorado are classified as obese, about 1 in 6, 8.9 points below the Colorado rate of 26.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Boulder County, Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 311,015 cigarettes a day, 9.3 million a month, or 113.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.4 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Boulder County is 81.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 29 lifetimes a year.
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