Health Profile of Columbia County, Georgia
Columbia 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
Columbia County Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Georgia
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Columbia County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.3% | 12.4% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.3% | 20.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years, about 2.6 years longer than the Georgia average of 75.8 years. The uninsured rate is 9.3%, lower than the Georgia average of 12.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.3% of residents, lower than the Georgia average of 20.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
49,867 residents in Columbia County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,987 713 men · 1,274 women
- 75–84 5,882 2,442 men · 3,440 women
- 65–74 12,605 6,011 men · 6,594 women
- 50–64 29,394 14,104 men · 15,290 women
Younger residents
40,082 residents in Columbia County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 12,658 6,436 boys · 6,222 girls
- 7–12 12,252 6,169 boys · 6,083 girls
- 3–7 8,984 4,580 boys · 4,404 girls
- 0–3 6,189 3,231 boys · 2,958 girls
About 5,508 residents in Columbia County (3.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Columbia County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.4% | 13.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.9% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.4% | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.1% | 38.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Columbia County is about 31% lower than in Georgia. The rate of heart disease in Columbia County is about 29% lower than in Georgia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Columbia County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.3% | 22.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.1% | 14.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.1% | 30.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Columbia County is about 31% lower than in Georgia. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Columbia County is about 24% lower than in Georgia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 186,355 cigarettes a day, 5.6 million a month, or 68.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 748.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 18 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 | Columbia County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.53 | 7.78 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Columbia County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Columbia County, GA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Columbia County, GA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 162,330 residents against a local median of 21,716. The measure that sets Columbia County, GA apart most is obesity: 34.1%, 18% below the local median of 41.6%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 2.6% of each other on obesity, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Columbia County, GA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Columbia County, GA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, GA | 162,330 | 78.4 yrs #1/6 | 9.3% #3/6 | 34.1% #1/6 |
| McDuffie County, GA | 21,716 | 74.0 yrs | 9.6% | 41.6% |
| Richmond County, GA | 206,056 | 73.7 yrs | 11.8% | 42.0% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 7,854 | 76.4 yrs | 12.3% | 40.9% |
| McCormick County, SC | 9,759 | 77.4 yrs | 3.5% | 43.5% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 27,456 | 77.1 yrs | 9.0% | 41.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Columbia County, Georgia has an overall health index grade of B, making it notably better than Georgia, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Columbia County, Georgia.
Is Columbia County, Georgia a healthy place to live?
Columbia County, Georgia 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 Columbia County, Georgia one of the healthiest counties in Georgia?
Columbia County ranks 5th healthiest out of 159 counties in Georgia by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Columbia County, Georgia?
People in Columbia County, Georgia can expect to live 78.4 years on average, 2.6 years longer than the Georgia average of 75.8.
What percentage of Columbia County, Georgia residents are uninsured?
9.3% of residents in Columbia County, Georgia have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 3.1 points below the Georgia rate of 12.4%.
How common is obesity in Columbia County, Georgia?
34.1% of adults in Columbia County, Georgia are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.9 points below the Georgia rate of 38.0%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Columbia County, Georgia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 186,355 cigarettes a day, 5.6 million a month, or 68.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 748.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 18 lifetimes a year.
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