Health Profile of Denver County, Colorado
Denver 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
Denver County Above averageHealthier than 70% of counties in Colorado
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Denver County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.0% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.6% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Denver County is 78.5 years, about 1.5 years shorter than the Colorado average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 9.0%, higher than the Colorado average of 7.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.6% of residents, lower than the Colorado average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
190,974 residents in Denver County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,267 3,886 men · 6,381 women
- 75–84 23,912 10,060 men · 13,852 women
- 65–74 48,237 22,211 men · 26,026 women
- 50–64 108,557 56,643 men · 51,915 women
Younger residents
129,579 residents in Denver County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 37,729 19,257 boys · 18,472 girls
- 7–12 37,052 18,791 boys · 18,262 girls
- 3–7 30,479 15,428 boys · 15,051 girls
- 0–3 24,319 12,374 boys · 11,945 girls
About 24,441 residents in Denver County (3.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Denver County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.7% | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.2% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.2% | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 21.7% | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Denver County is about 32% lower than in Colorado. The rate of cancer in Denver County is about 22% lower than in Colorado. The rate of obesity in Denver County is about 18% lower than in Colorado.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Denver County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.4% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.3% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 16.1% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Denver County is about 19% higher than in Colorado. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Denver County is about 19% lower than in Colorado.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 845,407 cigarettes a day, 25.4 million a month, or 308.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.3 million minutes a day and 3.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Denver County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 82 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 | Denver County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.01 | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Denver County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Denver County, CO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Denver County, CO is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 718,150 residents against a local median of 525,525. Where Denver County, CO breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 72% above the local median of 5.3% at 9.0%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 7.7% on uninsured, so Denver County, CO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Denver County, CO has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver County, CO | 718,150 | 78.5 yrs #5/6 | 9.0% #4/6 | 21.7% #2/6 |
| Broomfield County, CO | 76,305 | 81.0 yrs | 4.4% | 22.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 579,346 | 79.9 yrs | 5.3% | 24.0% |
| Douglas County, CO | 377,140 | 82.1 yrs | 3.9% | 20.7% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 647,849 | 79.7 yrs | 9.3% | 25.0% |
| Adams County, CO | 525,525 | 78.0 yrs | 11.6% | 30.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Denver County, Colorado has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Colorado, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Denver County, Colorado.
How healthy is Denver County, Colorado?
Denver 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 much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Denver County, Colorado one of the healthiest counties in Colorado?
Denver County ranks 19th 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.
How long do people live in Denver County, Colorado?
People in Denver County, Colorado can expect to live 78.5 years on average, 1.5 years shorter than the Colorado average of 80.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Denver County, Colorado?
9.0% of residents in Denver County, Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 1.3 points above the Colorado rate of 7.7%.
What percentage of Denver County, Colorado residents are obese?
21.7% of adults in Denver County, Colorado are classified as obese, about 1 in 5, 4.7 points below the Colorado rate of 26.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Denver County, Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 845,407 cigarettes a day, 25.4 million a month, or 308.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.3 million minutes a day and 3.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Denver County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 82 lifetimes a year.
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