Health Profile of Alachua County, Florida
Alachua 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.
-
B
Alachua County Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Florida
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.4% | 11.5% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.0% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Alachua County is 77.9 years, about 0.7 years longer than the Florida average of 77.2 years. The uninsured rate is 7.4%, lower than the Florida average of 11.5%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.0% of residents, lower than the Florida average of 19.5%.
Population by Age
Older residents
80,604 residents in Alachua County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 5,029 1,717 men · 3,312 women
- 75–84 10,939 4,780 men · 6,158 women
- 65–74 22,140 10,194 men · 11,946 women
- 50–64 42,497 20,433 men · 22,063 women
Younger residents
48,683 residents in Alachua County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 14,492 7,454 boys · 7,038 girls
- 7–12 14,556 7,318 boys · 7,238 girls
- 3–7 11,393 5,649 boys · 5,744 girls
- 0–3 8,242 4,148 boys · 4,094 girls
About 12,357 residents in Alachua County (4.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Alachua County | Florida Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.0% | 12.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.2% | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.3% | 8.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.6% | 33.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Alachua County is about 34% lower than in Florida. The rate of cancer in Alachua County is about 29% lower than in Florida. The rate of diabetes in Alachua County is about 28% lower than in Florida.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Alachua County | Florida Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.2% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.4% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 24.0% | 29.1% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Alachua County is about 24% lower than in Florida. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Alachua County is about 17% lower than in Florida.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 379,985 cigarettes a day, 11.4 million a month, or 138.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.2 million minutes a day and 1.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Alachua County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 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 | Alachua County | Florida Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.37 | 7.27 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Alachua County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Alachua County, FL Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Alachua County, FL is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 285,474 residents against a local median of 27,885. Alachua County, FL's uninsured, at 7.4%, runs 36% below the 11.6% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 29.6% against a local median of 36.4%, 19% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Alachua County, FL is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 5.0% on uninsured, so Alachua County, FL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Alachua County, FL has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua County, FL | 285,474 | 77.9 yrs #1/6 | 7.4% #1/6 | 29.6% #1/6 |
| Bradford County, FL | 27,885 | 76.2 yrs | 11.6% | 38.1% |
| Union County, FL | 15,701 | 73.4 yrs | 7.8% | 36.4% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 19,040 | 77.4 yrs | 12.8% | 35.3% |
| Marion County, FL | 400,073 | 75.3 yrs | 12.5% | 37.7% |
| Clay County, FL | 225,443 | 77.2 yrs | 8.2% | 35.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Alachua County, Florida has an overall health index grade of B, making it notably better than Florida, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Alachua County, Florida.
How healthy is Alachua County, Florida?
Alachua County, Florida 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 Alachua County, Florida one of the healthiest counties in Florida?
Alachua County ranks 3rd healthiest out of 67 counties in Florida by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Alachua County, Florida?
People in Alachua County, Florida can expect to live 77.9 years on average, 0.7 years longer than the Florida average of 77.2.
What is the uninsured rate in Alachua County, Florida?
7.4% of residents in Alachua County, Florida have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 4.1 points below the Florida rate of 11.5%.
How common is obesity in Alachua County, Florida?
29.6% of adults in Alachua County, Florida are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.2 points below the Florida rate of 33.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Alachua County, Florida go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 379,985 cigarettes a day, 11.4 million a month, or 138.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.2 million minutes a day and 1.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Alachua County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 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 →