Health Profile of New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle 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
New Castle County Around averageHealthiest county in Delaware
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.9% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.2% | 14.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in New Castle County is 77.8 years, about 0.1 years longer than the Delaware average of 77.7 years. The uninsured rate is 5.9%, lower than the Delaware average of 6.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.2% of residents, lower than the Delaware average of 14.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
200,288 residents in New Castle County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 11,140 3,967 men · 7,173 women
- 75–84 27,068 11,295 men · 15,773 women
- 65–74 50,655 23,119 men · 27,536 women
- 50–64 111,426 54,640 men · 56,785 women
Younger residents
118,954 residents in New Castle County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 38,741 19,485 boys · 19,256 girls
- 7–12 34,945 17,826 boys · 17,120 girls
- 3–7 25,864 13,232 boys · 12,632 girls
- 0–3 19,404 9,841 boys · 9,563 girls
About 29,361 residents in New Castle County (5.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.8% | 11.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.0% | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.8% | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.3% | 36.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in New Castle County is about 16% lower than in Delaware.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.2% | 17.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.0% | 14.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 24.0% | 26.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in New Castle County is about 15% higher than in Delaware.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 735,155 cigarettes a day, 22.1 million a month, or 268.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.1 million minutes a day and 3.0 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in New Castle County is 77.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.20 lifetimes a day, or 72 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 | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.07 | 6.57 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in New Castle County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
New Castle County, DE Health Compared With Nearby Counties
New Castle County, DE is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 577,338 residents against a local median of 187,603. Where New Castle County, DE breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 28% above the local median of 4.6% at 5.9%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.0% on uninsured, so New Castle County, DE sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. New Castle County, DE has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, DE | 577,338 | 77.8 yrs #2/6 | 5.9% #5/6 | 34.3% #3/6 |
| Salem County, NJ | 65,196 | 77.0 yrs | 4.7% | 36.5% |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,960 | 76.7 yrs | 3.6% | 38.4% |
| Chester County, PA | 543,223 | 80.8 yrs | 4.4% | 30.6% |
| Delaware County, PA | 578,234 | 77.6 yrs | 4.6% | 30.0% |
| Kent County, DE | 187,603 | 76.8 yrs | 6.6% | 38.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, New Castle County, Delaware has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Delaware, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in New Castle County, Delaware.
Is New Castle County, Delaware a healthy place to live?
New Castle County, 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 New Castle County, Delaware one of the healthiest counties in Delaware?
Yes. New Castle County ranks 1st of 3 counties in Delaware by the Map AI Health Index, making it the healthiest of them all.
What is the average lifespan in New Castle County, Delaware?
People in New Castle County, Delaware can expect to live 77.8 years on average, about the same as the Delaware average of 77.7.
What percentage of New Castle County, Delaware residents are uninsured?
5.9% of residents in New Castle County, Delaware have no health insurance, about 1 in 17 people, about the same as the Delaware rate of 6.3%.
What percentage of New Castle County, Delaware residents are obese?
34.3% of adults in New Castle County, Delaware are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.2 points below the Delaware rate of 36.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in New Castle County, Delaware go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 735,155 cigarettes a day, 22.1 million a month, or 268.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.1 million minutes a day and 3.0 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in New Castle County is 77.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.20 lifetimes a day, or 72 lifetimes a year.
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