Health Profile of La Plata County, Colorado
La Plata 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
La Plata County Above averageHealthier than 84% of counties in Colorado
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | La Plata County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.7 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.2% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.5% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in La Plata County is 81.7 years, about 1.7 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 8.2%, higher 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
21,090 residents in La Plata County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 781 333 men · 448 women
- 75–84 2,454 1,159 men · 1,295 women
- 65–74 6,059 3,105 men · 2,955 women
- 50–64 11,796 5,712 men · 6,083 women
Younger residents
10,008 residents in La Plata County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 3,206 1,755 boys · 1,451 girls
- 7–12 3,022 1,534 boys · 1,488 girls
- 3–7 2,224 1,076 boys · 1,148 girls
- 0–3 1,555 799 boys · 756 girls
About 1,408 residents in La Plata County (2.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | La Plata County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.2% | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.1% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.9% | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 23.1% | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in La Plata County is about 22% lower than in Colorado. The rate of heart disease in La Plata County is about 21% lower than in Colorado.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | La Plata County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.4% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.3% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 15.7% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in La Plata County is about 21% lower than in Colorado. The rate of smoking in La Plata County is about 17% lower than in Colorado.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 62,075 cigarettes a day, 1.9 million a month, or 22.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 682,830 minutes a day and 249.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in La Plata County is 81.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 5.80 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 | La Plata County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.24 | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in La Plata County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
La Plata County, CO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
La Plata County, CO is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 56,331 residents against a local median of 8,166. La Plata County, CO's uninsured, at 8.2%, runs 17% below the 9.9% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.2% on uninsured, so La Plata County, CO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. La Plata County, CO has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata County, CO | 56,331 | 81.7 yrs #2/5 | 8.2% #2/5 | 23.1% #1/5 |
| Montezuma County, CO | 26,412 | 80.8 yrs | 11.1% | 27.7% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 1,005 | 81.4 yrs | 9.3% | 23.9% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 13,900 | 82.1 yrs | 10.5% | 24.1% |
| Dolores County, CO | 2,432 | 76.8 yrs | 7.9% | 25.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, La Plata 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 La Plata County, Colorado.
What is the health grade for La Plata County, Colorado?
La Plata 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 La Plata County, Colorado one of the healthiest counties in Colorado?
La Plata County ranks 11th 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 La Plata County, Colorado?
People in La Plata County, Colorado can expect to live 81.7 years on average, 1.7 years longer than the Colorado average of 80.0.
What is the uninsured rate in La Plata County, Colorado?
8.2% of residents in La Plata County, Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, about the same as the Colorado rate of 7.7%.
What is the obesity rate in La Plata County, Colorado?
23.1% of adults in La Plata 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 La Plata County, Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 62,075 cigarettes a day, 1.9 million a month, or 22.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 682,830 minutes a day and 249.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in La Plata County is 81.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 5.80 lifetimes a year.
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