Health Profile of Delaware
Delaware 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.
-
B
Delaware Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Delaware
- New Castle County (101% of U.S. avg)
- Sussex County (100% of U.S. avg)
- Kent County (99% of U.S. avg)
- Kent County (99% of U.S. avg)
- Sussex County (100% of U.S. avg)
- New Castle County (101% 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 | Delaware | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Delaware is 77.7 years, about 0.6 years shorter than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 6.3%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.8% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
385,229 residents in Delaware are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 20,530 7,442 men · 13,088 women
- 75–84 55,263 24,215 men · 31,047 women
- 65–74 108,066 50,015 men · 58,051 women
- 50–64 201,371 97,246 men · 104,125 women
Younger residents
208,924 residents in Delaware are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 65,852 33,169 boys · 32,683 girls
- 7–12 61,969 31,628 boys · 30,341 girls
- 3–7 46,812 23,886 boys · 22,926 girls
- 0–3 34,292 17,434 boys · 16,858 girls
About 57,781 residents in Delaware (5.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Delaware | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Delaware are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Delaware | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 26.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Delaware are about the same as in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.4 million cigarettes a day, 41.9 million a month, or 510.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 15.4 million minutes a day and 5.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Delaware is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.38 lifetimes a day, or 137 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 | Delaware | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.57 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Delaware is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Delaware Health Compared With Nearby States
Delaware is the 5th largest of the 6 states compared here, 1,017,061 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. Delaware sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these states turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 8% above the local median at 36.6% against 34.0%. Delaware has the 6th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | 77.7 yrs #4/6 | 6.3% #4/6 | 36.6% #6/6 |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | 78.4 yrs | 6.3% | 34.0% |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | 79.4 yrs | 7.5% | 28.9% |
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | 76.4 yrs | 3.6% | 25.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | 78.4 yrs | 5.6% | 34.5% |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | 77.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Delaware 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 Delaware.
How healthy is Delaware?
Delaware 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 Delaware one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Delaware ranks 24th 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.
How long do people live in Delaware?
People in Delaware can expect to live 77.7 years on average, 0.6 years shorter than the US average of 78.3.
How many people lack health insurance in Delaware?
6.3% of residents in Delaware have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 2.1 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
How common is obesity in Delaware?
36.6% of adults in Delaware are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.3 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Delaware go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.4 million cigarettes a day, 41.9 million a month, or 510.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 15.4 million minutes a day and 5.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Delaware is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.38 lifetimes a day, or 137 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →