Health Profile of Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex 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
Sussex County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Sussex County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.0% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.5% | 14.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Sussex County is 78.5 years, about 0.8 years longer than the Delaware average of 77.7 years. The uninsured rate is 7.0%, higher than the Delaware average of 6.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.5% of residents, lower than the Delaware average of 14.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
121,327 residents in Sussex County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 5,981 2,281 men · 3,700 women
- 75–84 19,146 9,082 men · 10,065 women
- 65–74 40,321 19,056 men · 21,265 women
- 50–64 55,880 26,330 men · 29,550 women
Younger residents
46,384 residents in Sussex County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 14,126 7,225 boys · 6,901 girls
- 7–12 13,535 6,694 boys · 6,840 girls
- 3–7 10,637 5,269 boys · 5,369 girls
- 0–3 8,087 4,135 boys · 3,952 girls
About 16,651 residents in Sussex County (6.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Sussex County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.7% | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.0% | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.9% | 36.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Sussex County is about 24% higher than in Delaware. The rate of heart disease in Sussex County is about 17% higher than in Delaware.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Sussex County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.6% | 17.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.6% | 14.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 26.5% | 26.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Sussex County are about the same as in Delaware.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 321,973 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 117.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Sussex County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 31 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 | Sussex County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.49 | 6.57 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Sussex County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Sussex County, DE Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Sussex County, DE is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 252,121 residents against a local median of 94,930. Nothing separates Sussex County, DE 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, 7% above the local median at 7.0% against 6.6%. Sussex County, DE has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County, DE | 252,121 | 78.5 yrs #1/6 | 7.0% #5/6 | 36.9% #3/6 |
| Wicomico County, MD | 104,905 | 76.9 yrs | 6.7% | 37.1% |
| Kent County, DE | 187,603 | 76.8 yrs | 6.6% | 38.5% |
| Worcester County, MD | 53,701 | 77.9 yrs | 5.0% | 33.6% |
| Caroline County, MD | 33,666 | 75.8 yrs | 7.3% | 37.9% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 94,930 | 78.3 yrs | 5.0% | 28.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Sussex 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 Sussex County, Delaware.
How healthy is Sussex County, Delaware?
Sussex 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 Sussex County, Delaware one of the healthiest counties in Delaware?
Sussex County ranks 2nd healthiest out of 3 counties in Delaware by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Sussex County, Delaware?
People in Sussex County, Delaware can expect to live 78.5 years on average, 0.8 years longer than the Delaware average of 77.7.
What is the uninsured rate in Sussex County, Delaware?
7.0% of residents in Sussex County, Delaware have no health insurance, about 1 in 14 people, 0.7 points above the Delaware rate of 6.3%.
How common is obesity in Sussex County, Delaware?
36.9% of adults in Sussex County, Delaware are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Delaware rate of 36.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Sussex County, Delaware go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 321,973 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 117.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Sussex County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 31 lifetimes a year.
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