Health Profile of Iowa
Iowa 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
Iowa Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Iowa
- Johnson County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Story County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Winneshiek County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Davis County (98% of U.S. avg)
- Wayne County (98% of U.S. avg)
- Appanoose County (99% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Iowa | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Iowa is 79.2 years, about 1.0 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 5.0%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.6% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
1,132,899 residents in Iowa are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 73,530 26,941 men · 46,589 women
- 75–84 168,632 72,902 men · 95,730 women
- 65–74 301,352 144,321 men · 157,031 women
- 50–64 589,385 294,017 men · 295,367 women
Younger residents
699,085 residents in Iowa are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 221,427 112,359 boys · 109,069 girls
- 7–12 208,600 107,223 boys · 101,377 girls
- 3–7 156,277 80,975 boys · 75,301 girls
- 0–3 112,781 58,045 boys · 54,736 girls
About 157,659 residents in Iowa (4.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Iowa | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Iowa are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Iowa | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.4% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Iowa is about 25% higher than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 4.3 million cigarettes a day, 130.4 million a month, or 1.6 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 47.8 million minutes a day and 17.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Iowa is 79.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.15 lifetimes a day, or 419 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 | Iowa | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Iowa is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Iowa Health Compared With Nearby States
Iowa is the 5th largest of the 6 states compared here, 3,204,793 residents against a local median of 5,910,864. The measure that sets Iowa apart most is uninsured: 5.0%, 27% below the local median of 6.9%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 4.1% on uninsured, so Iowa sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Iowa has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Iowa has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Iowa.
Is Iowa a healthy place to live?
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 Iowa one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Iowa ranks 20th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Iowa?
People in Iowa can expect to live 79.2 years on average, 1.0 years longer than the US average of 78.3.
How many people lack health insurance in Iowa?
5.0% of residents in Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 3.4 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
What is the obesity rate in Iowa?
37.3% of adults in Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.0 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
What health issue is more common in Iowa than elsewhere?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 20.8%, about 25% higher than the US rate of 16.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 4.3 million cigarettes a day, 130.4 million a month, or 1.6 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 47.8 million minutes a day and 17.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Iowa is 79.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.15 lifetimes a day, or 419 lifetimes a year.
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