Health Profile of Dubuque County, Iowa
Dubuque 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
Dubuque County Around averageHealthier than 83% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dubuque County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 3.5% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.2% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dubuque County is 79.0 years, about 0.2 years shorter than the Iowa average of 79.2 years. The uninsured rate is 3.5%, lower than the Iowa average of 5.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.2% of residents, lower than the Iowa average of 13.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
36,994 residents in Dubuque County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,522 797 men · 1,725 women
- 75–84 5,741 2,371 men · 3,370 women
- 65–74 9,728 4,646 men · 5,082 women
- 50–64 19,003 9,450 men · 9,553 women
Younger residents
21,320 residents in Dubuque County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,135 3,112 boys · 3,022 girls
- 7–12 6,493 3,318 boys · 3,175 girls
- 3–7 5,144 2,610 boys · 2,534 girls
- 0–3 3,548 1,785 boys · 1,763 girls
About 5,671 residents in Dubuque County (5.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dubuque County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.1% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.8% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.3% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.2% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Dubuque County are about the same as in Iowa.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dubuque County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.6% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 24.4% | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.4% | 25.4% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Dubuque County is about 17% higher than in Iowa. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Dubuque County is about 16% lower than in Iowa.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 119,992 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 43.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 481.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dubuque County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 12 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 | Dubuque County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.69 | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dubuque County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dubuque County, IA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dubuque County, IA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 99,026 residents against a local median of 19,390. Where Dubuque County, IA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 38% below the local median of 5.7% at 3.5%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.1% on uninsured, so Dubuque County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dubuque County, IA has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque County, IA | 99,026 | 79.0 yrs #4/6 | 3.5% #2/6 | 36.2% #2/6 |
| Jones County, IA | 20,896 | 80.8 yrs | 3.5% | 37.5% |
| Jackson County, IA | 19,390 | 78.7 yrs | 5.7% | 37.7% |
| Grant County, WI | 51,770 | 79.6 yrs | 8.0% | 36.1% |
| Delaware County, IA | 17,558 | 78.7 yrs | 3.3% | 39.6% |
| Clayton County, IA | 17,012 | 79.7 yrs | 8.4% | 41.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dubuque County, Iowa has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Iowa, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Dubuque County, Iowa.
How healthy is Dubuque County, Iowa?
Dubuque County, Iowa 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 Dubuque County, Iowa one of the healthiest counties in Iowa?
Dubuque County ranks 18th healthiest out of 99 counties in Iowa by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Dubuque County, Iowa?
People in Dubuque County, Iowa can expect to live 79.0 years on average, about the same as the Iowa average of 79.2.
What is the uninsured rate in Dubuque County, Iowa?
3.5% of residents in Dubuque County, Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 28 people, 1.5 points below the Iowa rate of 5.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Dubuque County, Iowa?
36.2% of adults in Dubuque County, Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.1 points below the Iowa rate of 37.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dubuque County, Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 119,992 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 43.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 481.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dubuque County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 12 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 →