Health Profile of Dawson County, Georgia
Dawson 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
Dawson County Around averageHealthier than 91% of counties in Georgia
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dawson County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.8% | 12.4% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.1% | 20.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dawson County is 77.0 years, about 1.2 years longer than the Georgia average of 75.8 years. The uninsured rate is 11.8%, lower than the Georgia average of 12.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.1% of residents, lower than the Georgia average of 20.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
11,978 residents in Dawson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 319 176 men · 143 women
- 75–84 1,536 697 men · 838 women
- 65–74 3,428 1,690 men · 1,738 women
- 50–64 6,695 3,315 men · 3,381 women
Younger residents
6,043 residents in Dawson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,982 975 boys · 1,008 girls
- 7–12 1,742 940 boys · 802 girls
- 3–7 1,308 730 boys · 578 girls
- 0–3 1,010 525 boys · 486 girls
About 1,416 residents in Dawson County (4.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dawson County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 13.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.3% | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.4% | 38.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Dawson County is about 29% lower than in Georgia. The rate of heart disease in Dawson County is about 17% lower than in Georgia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dawson County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.4% | 22.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.7% | 14.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.9% | 30.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Dawson County is about 25% lower than in Georgia. The rate of smoking in Dawson County is about 21% lower than in Georgia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,793 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 459,722 minutes a day and 167.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.14 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 | Dawson County | Georgia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.10 | 7.78 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dawson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dawson County, GA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dawson County, GA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 30,242 residents against a local median of 213,256. Nothing separates Dawson County, GA 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 obesity, 2% below the local median at 32.4% against 33.1%. Dawson County, GA has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, GA | 30,242 | 77.0 yrs #6/6 | 11.8% #4/6 | 32.4% #3/6 |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 34,505 | 77.4 yrs | 11.8% | 33.1% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 267,252 | 79.7 yrs | 7.9% | 30.0% |
| Pickens County, GA | 34,951 | 77.3 yrs | 12.0% | 33.7% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 281,282 | 78.9 yrs | 10.4% | 33.3% |
| Hall County, GA | 213,256 | 78.1 yrs | 16.5% | 32.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dawson 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 Dawson County, Georgia.
How healthy is Dawson County, Georgia?
Dawson 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 Dawson County, Georgia one of the healthiest counties in Georgia?
Dawson County ranks 15th 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 Dawson County, Georgia?
People in Dawson County, Georgia can expect to live 77.0 years on average, 1.2 years longer than the Georgia average of 75.8.
What percentage of Dawson County, Georgia residents are uninsured?
11.8% of residents in Dawson County, Georgia have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 0.6 points below the Georgia rate of 12.4%.
How common is obesity in Dawson County, Georgia?
32.4% of adults in Dawson County, Georgia are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 5.6 points below the Georgia rate of 38.0%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dawson County, Georgia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,793 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 459,722 minutes a day and 167.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.14 lifetimes a year.
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