Health Profile of Colorado
Colorado 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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B
Colorado Around averageHealthier than 84% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Colorado
- Douglas County (107% of U.S. avg)
- Boulder County (106% of U.S. avg)
- Broomfield County (106% of U.S. avg)
- Costilla County (97% of U.S. avg)
- Otero County (99% of U.S. avg)
- Bent County (99% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Colorado | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Colorado is 80.0 years, about 1.8 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 7.7%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.2% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
1,845,409 residents in Colorado are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 91,033 32,700 men · 58,333 women
- 75–84 226,095 99,548 men · 126,548 women
- 65–74 478,432 228,896 men · 249,536 women
- 50–64 1,049,849 529,301 men · 520,548 women
Younger residents
1,190,401 residents in Colorado are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 386,708 199,662 boys · 187,045 girls
- 7–12 350,817 179,441 boys · 171,376 girls
- 3–7 260,665 132,510 boys · 128,154 girls
- 0–3 192,211 97,941 boys · 94,270 girls
About 181,177 residents in Colorado (3.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Colorado | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of obesity in Colorado is about 23% lower than in US. The rate of diabetes in Colorado is about 18% lower than in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Colorado | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Colorado is about 21% lower than in US. The rate of smoking in Colorado is about 16% lower than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 7.4 million cigarettes a day, 222.5 million a month, or 2.7 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 81.6 million minutes a day and 29.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Colorado is 80.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.94 lifetimes a day, or 708 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 | Colorado | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Colorado is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Colorado Health Compared With Nearby States
Colorado is the largest of the 6 states compared here, 5,842,429 residents against a local median of 2,118,085. Colorado's obesity, at 26.3%, runs 18% below the 31.9% typical of the states around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 7.8% on obesity, so Colorado sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Colorado has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 5,842,429 | 80.0 yrs #2/6 | 7.7% #2/6 | 26.3% #1/6 |
| Wyoming | 582,314 | 80.3 yrs | 11.3% | 31.9% |
| New Mexico | 2,118,085 | 78.6 yrs | 9.6% | 31.4% |
| Utah | 3,390,702 | 80.0 yrs | 8.4% | 29.5% |
| Nebraska | 1,978,686 | 79.5 yrs | 7.2% | 36.1% |
| Kansas | 2,945,842 | 78.6 yrs | 8.8% | 37.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Colorado has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Colorado.
How healthy is Colorado?
Colorado has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Colorado one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Colorado ranks 9th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Colorado?
People in Colorado can expect to live 80.0 years on average, 1.8 years longer than the US average of 78.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Colorado?
7.7% of residents in Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 0.6 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
How common is obesity in Colorado?
26.3% of adults in Colorado are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 8.0 points below the US rate of 34.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 7.4 million cigarettes a day, 222.5 million a month, or 2.7 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 81.6 million minutes a day and 29.8 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Colorado is 80.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.94 lifetimes a day, or 708 lifetimes a year.
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