Health Profile of District of Columbia
District of Columbia 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
District of Columbia Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in District of Columbia
- District of Columbia (103% of U.S. avg)
- District of Columbia (103% 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 | District of Columbia | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 3.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in District of Columbia is 76.4 years, about 1.9 years shorter than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 3.6%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.3% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
187,291 residents in District of Columbia are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,214 3,565 men · 6,649 women
- 75–84 26,498 10,393 men · 16,105 women
- 65–74 48,926 21,499 men · 27,427 women
- 50–64 101,653 49,972 men · 51,681 women
Younger residents
120,540 residents in District of Columbia are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 30,866 15,676 boys · 15,190 girls
- 7–12 34,235 17,221 boys · 17,014 girls
- 3–7 30,786 15,533 boys · 15,253 girls
- 0–3 24,653 12,577 boys · 12,076 girls
About 32,388 residents in District of Columbia (4.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | District of Columbia | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 25.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in District of Columbia is about 41% lower than in US. The rate of cancer in District of Columbia is about 27% lower than in US. The rate of obesity in District of Columbia is about 26% lower than in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | District of Columbia | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.7% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in District of Columbia is about 26% lower than in US. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in District of Columbia is about 26% lower than in US. The rate of binge drinking in District of Columbia is about 26% higher than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 775,810 cigarettes a day, 23.3 million a month, or 283.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.5 million minutes a day and 3.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in District of Columbia is 76.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.21 lifetimes a day, or 78 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 | District of Columbia | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.41 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in District of Columbia is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
District of Columbia Health Compared With Nearby States
District of Columbia is the smallest of the 6 states compared here, 678,314 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. The measure that sets District of Columbia apart most is uninsured: 3.6%, 42% below the local median of 6.3%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 25.3% against a local median of 34.5%, 27% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so District of Columbia is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The states themselves sit within 1.9% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and District of Columbia, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. District of Columbia has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | 76.4 yrs #6/6 | 3.6% #1/6 | 25.3% #1/6 |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | 78.4 yrs | 6.3% | 34.0% |
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | 77.7 yrs | 6.3% | 36.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | 78.4 yrs | 5.6% | 34.5% |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | 77.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.3% |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | 79.4 yrs | 7.5% | 28.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, District of Columbia has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in District of Columbia.
What is the health grade for District of Columbia?
District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
District of Columbia ranks 5th 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 life expectancy in District of Columbia?
People in District of Columbia can expect to live 76.4 years on average, 1.9 years shorter than the US average of 78.3.
What is the uninsured rate in District of Columbia?
3.6% of residents in District of Columbia have no health insurance, about 1 in 27 people, 4.7 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
What percentage of District of Columbia residents are obese?
25.3% of adults in District of Columbia are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 9.0 points below the US rate of 34.3%.
Which health problem stands out most in District of Columbia?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 20.8%, about 26% higher than the US rate of 16.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in District of Columbia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 775,810 cigarettes a day, 23.3 million a month, or 283.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.5 million minutes a day and 3.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in District of Columbia is 76.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.21 lifetimes a day, or 78 lifetimes a year.
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