Health Profile of Gunnison County, Colorado
Gunnison 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
Gunnison County Above averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Colorado
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Gunnison County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.0% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.5% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Gunnison County is 80.7 years, about 0.6 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 5.0%, lower than the Colorado average of 7.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 9.5% of residents, lower than the Colorado average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
5,344 residents in Gunnison County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 171 68 men · 103 women
- 75–84 514 293 men · 222 women
- 65–74 1,412 772 men · 639 women
- 50–64 3,248 1,676 men · 1,572 women
Younger residents
2,678 residents in Gunnison County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 865 464 boys · 401 girls
- 7–12 807 428 boys · 380 girls
- 3–7 597 337 boys · 260 girls
- 0–3 408 228 boys · 181 girls
About 318 residents in Gunnison County (1.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Gunnison County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.8% | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.7% | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 23.1% | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Gunnison County is about 27% lower than in Colorado. The rate of heart disease in Gunnison County is about 25% lower than in Colorado. The rate of cancer in Gunnison County is about 15% lower than in Colorado.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Gunnison County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.4% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.5% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 14.7% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Gunnison County is about 26% lower than in Colorado. The rate of smoking in Gunnison County is about 16% lower than in Colorado. The rate of binge drinking in Gunnison County is about 15% higher than in Colorado.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,637 cigarettes a day, 589,102 a month, or 7.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 216,004 minutes a day and 78.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Gunnison County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.86 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 | Gunnison County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 3.59 | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 3.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Gunnison County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Gunnison County, CO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Gunnison County, CO is typical in size for this group, 17,241 residents against a local median of 16,985, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Where Gunnison County, CO breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 46% below the local median of 9.3% at 5.0%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.7% on uninsured, so Gunnison County, CO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Gunnison County, CO has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnison County, CO | 17,241 | 80.7 yrs #3/6 | 5.0% #2/6 | 23.1% #2/6 |
| Pitkin County, CO | 16,985 | 82.4 yrs | 5.0% | 21.7% |
| Chaffee County, CO | 20,178 | 80.0 yrs | 6.5% | 24.0% |
| Delta County, CO | 31,598 | 78.9 yrs | 12.0% | 26.5% |
| Lake County, CO | 7,380 | 78.6 yrs | 13.7% | 29.0% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 1,005 | 81.4 yrs | 9.3% | 23.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Gunnison 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 Gunnison County, Colorado.
What is the health grade for Gunnison County, Colorado?
Gunnison 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 Gunnison County, Colorado one of the healthiest counties in Colorado?
Gunnison County ranks 14th 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 Gunnison County, Colorado?
People in Gunnison County, Colorado can expect to live 80.7 years on average, 0.6 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Gunnison County, Colorado?
5.0% of residents in Gunnison County, Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 2.8 points below the Colorado rate of 7.7%.
What percentage of Gunnison County, Colorado residents are obese?
23.1% of adults in Gunnison County, Colorado are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 3.2 points below the Colorado rate of 26.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Gunnison County, Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,637 cigarettes a day, 589,102 a month, or 7.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 216,004 minutes a day and 78.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Gunnison County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.86 lifetimes a year.
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