Health Profile of Jefferson County, Iowa
Jefferson 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
Jefferson County Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Jefferson County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.7% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.8% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Jefferson County is 80.3 years, about 1.1 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2 years. The uninsured rate is 6.7%, higher than the Iowa average of 5.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.8% of residents, lower than the Iowa average of 13.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
6,679 residents in Jefferson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 392 117 men · 275 women
- 75–84 860 383 men · 477 women
- 65–74 2,024 979 men · 1,045 women
- 50–64 3,403 1,734 men · 1,669 women
Younger residents
2,690 residents in Jefferson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 831 413 boys · 418 girls
- 7–12 814 348 boys · 466 girls
- 3–7 616 284 boys · 331 girls
- 0–3 430 233 boys · 197 girls
About 775 residents in Jefferson County (4.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Jefferson County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.9% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.9% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.6% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.0% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Jefferson County are about the same as in Iowa.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Jefferson County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.5% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.3% | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.8% | 25.4% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Jefferson County are about the same as in Iowa.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,537 cigarettes a day, 646,112 a month, or 7.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 236,908 minutes a day and 86.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Jefferson County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.05 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 | Jefferson County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.82 | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Jefferson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Jefferson County, IA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, IA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 15,705 residents against a local median of 20,002. The measure that sets Jefferson County, IA apart most is obesity: 32.1%, 15% below the local median of 37.8%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 2.4% of each other on obesity, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Jefferson County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Jefferson County, IA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IA | 15,705 | 80.3 yrs #1/6 | 6.7% #3/6 | 32.1% #1/6 |
| Van Buren County, IA | 7,241 | 79.1 yrs | 17.4% | 37.1% |
| Keokuk County, IA | 7,337 | 79.8 yrs | 4.0% | 37.8% |
| Washington County, IA | 22,560 | 79.9 yrs | 7.6% | 39.1% |
| Henry County, IA | 20,002 | 79.8 yrs | 4.7% | 36.7% |
| Wapello County, IA | 35,362 | 77.3 yrs | 7.3% | 39.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Iowa.
Is Jefferson County, Iowa a healthy place to live?
Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Iowa one of the healthiest counties in Iowa?
Jefferson County ranks 15th 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 Jefferson County, Iowa?
People in Jefferson County, Iowa can expect to live 80.3 years on average, 1.1 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2.
How many people lack health insurance in Jefferson County, Iowa?
6.7% of residents in Jefferson County, Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 1.7 points above the Iowa rate of 5.0%.
What percentage of Jefferson County, Iowa residents are obese?
32.1% of adults in Jefferson County, Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 5.3 points below the Iowa rate of 37.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Jefferson County, Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,537 cigarettes a day, 646,112 a month, or 7.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 236,908 minutes a day and 86.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Jefferson County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.05 lifetimes a year.
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