Health Profile of Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 80.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 3.4% | 5.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.2% | 12.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 80.8 years, about 0.7 years longer than the Connecticut average of 80.1 years. The uninsured rate is 3.4%, lower than the Connecticut average of 5.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.2% of residents, lower than the Connecticut average of 12.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
70,508 residents in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 4,450 1,602 men · 2,848 women
- 75–84 9,603 4,189 men · 5,414 women
- 65–74 18,729 8,824 men · 9,905 women
- 50–64 37,726 18,451 men · 19,274 women
Younger residents
27,614 residents in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 9,334 4,782 boys · 4,551 girls
- 7–12 8,283 4,263 boys · 4,020 girls
- 3–7 5,876 3,056 boys · 2,820 girls
- 0–3 4,122 2,125 boys · 1,997 girls
About 7,628 residents in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region (4.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.5% | 9.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.8% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.6% | 30.1% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region are about the same as in Connecticut.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.9% | 15.2% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 16.4% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 16.8% | 20.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is about 17% lower than in Connecticut.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 201,723 cigarettes a day, 6.1 million a month, or 73.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 809.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 19 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 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.68 | 6.62 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 163,295 residents against a local median of 516,000. The measure that sets Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT apart most is uninsured: 3.4%, 31% below the local median of 5.0%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 0.6% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 163,295 | 80.8 yrs #1/6 | 3.4% #1/6 | 29.6% #2/6 |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 516,000 | 79.6 yrs | 5.0% | 33.2% |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 252,265 | 79.3 yrs | 5.0% | 31.0% |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 920,648 | 79.6 yrs | 4.4% | 31.8% |
| Suffolk County, NY | 1,451,500 | 80.7 yrs | 4.3% | 27.3% |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 439,566 | 79.0 yrs | 5.0% | 32.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Connecticut, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut.
How healthy is Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut one of the healthiest counties in Connecticut?
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region ranks 2nd healthiest out of 9 counties in Connecticut by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
People in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut can expect to live 80.8 years on average, 0.7 years longer than the Connecticut average of 80.1.
What percentage of Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut residents are uninsured?
3.4% of residents in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut have no health insurance, about 1 in 29 people, 1.9 points below the Connecticut rate of 5.3%.
How common is obesity in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
29.6% of adults in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Connecticut rate of 30.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 201,723 cigarettes a day, 6.1 million a month, or 73.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 809.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 19 lifetimes a year.
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