Health Profile of Rio Grande County, Colorado
Rio Grande 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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B
Rio Grande County Around averageLess healthy than 89% of counties in Colorado
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Rio Grande County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.6% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.8% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Rio Grande County is 78.9 years, about 1.1 years shorter than the Colorado average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 10.6%, higher than the Colorado average of 7.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.8% of residents, higher than the Colorado average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
4,587 residents in Rio Grande County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 260 108 men · 152 women
- 75–84 671 310 men · 361 women
- 65–74 1,309 652 men · 656 women
- 50–64 2,347 1,184 men · 1,163 women
Younger residents
2,437 residents in Rio Grande County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 814 484 boys · 330 girls
- 7–12 727 388 boys · 340 girls
- 3–7 510 251 boys · 259 girls
- 0–3 386 197 boys · 189 girls
About 609 residents in Rio Grande County (5.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Rio Grande County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.0% | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.2% | 6.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.7% | 26.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Rio Grande County is about 29% higher than in Colorado. The rate of heart disease in Rio Grande County is about 17% higher than in Colorado.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Rio Grande County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.9% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.8% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.9% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Rio Grande County is about 30% higher than in Colorado.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 15,308 cigarettes a day, 459,232 a month, or 5.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 168,385 minutes a day and 61.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Rio Grande County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.48 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 | Rio Grande County | Colorado Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.02 | 4.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Rio Grande County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Rio Grande County, CO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Rio Grande County, CO is typical in size for this group, 11,321 residents against a local median of 10,715, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nothing separates Rio Grande County, CO sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 8% below the local median at 10.6% against 11.6%. Rio Grande County, CO has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande County, CO | 11,321 | 78.9 yrs #4/5 | 10.6% #3/5 | 28.7% #3/5 |
| Conejos County, CO | 7,530 | 82.3 yrs | 13.6% | 30.9% |
| Saguache County, CO | 6,580 | 82.6 yrs | 12.6% | 27.4% |
| Alamosa County, CO | 16,581 | 78.2 yrs | 5.8% | 31.1% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 13,900 | 82.1 yrs | 10.5% | 24.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Rio Grande County, Colorado has an overall health index grade of B, making it about on par with Colorado, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Rio Grande County, Colorado.
How healthy is Rio Grande County, Colorado?
Rio Grande County, 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 Rio Grande County, Colorado one of the healthiest counties in Colorado?
Rio Grande County ranks 55th 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 Rio Grande County, Colorado?
People in Rio Grande County, Colorado can expect to live 78.9 years on average, 1.1 years shorter than the Colorado average of 80.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Rio Grande County, Colorado?
10.6% of residents in Rio Grande County, Colorado have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, 2.9 points above the Colorado rate of 7.7%.
How common is obesity in Rio Grande County, Colorado?
28.7% of adults in Rio Grande County, Colorado are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.4 points above the Colorado rate of 26.3%.
What health issue is more common in Rio Grande County, Colorado than elsewhere?
Compared with Colorado as a whole, physical inactivity stands out most: the adult rate here is 25.9%, about 30% higher than the Colorado rate of 19.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Rio Grande County, Colorado go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 15,308 cigarettes a day, 459,232 a month, or 5.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 168,385 minutes a day and 61.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Rio Grande County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.48 lifetimes a year.
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