Health Profile of Plymouth County, Iowa
Plymouth 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
Plymouth County Around averageHealthier than 87% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Plymouth County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.3% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.4% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Plymouth County is 80.8 years, about 1.5 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2 years. The uninsured rate is 5.3%, higher than the Iowa average of 5.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.4% of residents, lower than the Iowa average of 13.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
9,782 residents in Plymouth County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 724 239 men · 485 women
- 75–84 1,436 678 men · 758 women
- 65–74 2,551 1,230 men · 1,321 women
- 50–64 5,071 2,606 men · 2,465 women
Younger residents
6,106 residents in Plymouth County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,000 996 boys · 1,004 girls
- 7–12 1,827 956 boys · 871 girls
- 3–7 1,328 743 boys · 585 girls
- 0–3 952 528 boys · 424 girls
About 1,283 residents in Plymouth County (5.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Plymouth County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.4% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.8% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.7% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Plymouth County are about the same as in Iowa.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Plymouth County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.9% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.6% | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.5% | 25.4% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Plymouth County are about the same as in Iowa.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 32,688 cigarettes a day, 980,642 a month, or 11.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 359,569 minutes a day and 131.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Plymouth County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.09 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 | Plymouth County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.09 | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Plymouth County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Plymouth County, IA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Plymouth County, IA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 25,747 residents against a local median of 21,354. Nothing separates Plymouth County, IA 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, 12% below the local median at 33.7% against 38.1%. Plymouth County, IA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth County, IA | 25,747 | 80.8 yrs #2/6 | 5.3% #3/6 | 33.7% #1/6 |
| Sioux County, IA | 36,212 | 82.2 yrs | 5.8% | 34.3% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 106,250 | 77.5 yrs | 7.3% | 38.2% |
| Union County, SD | 17,081 | 80.7 yrs | 5.1% | 37.7% |
| Dakota County, NE | 21,354 | 78.3 yrs | 8.1% | 39.2% |
| Cherokee County, IA | 11,600 | 80.1 yrs | 4.8% | 38.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa.
How healthy is Plymouth County, Iowa?
Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa one of the healthiest counties in Iowa?
Plymouth County ranks 14th 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 Plymouth County, Iowa?
People in Plymouth County, Iowa can expect to live 80.8 years on average, 1.5 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2.
What percentage of Plymouth County, Iowa residents are uninsured?
5.3% of residents in Plymouth County, Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 19 people, about the same as the Iowa rate of 5.0%.
What percentage of Plymouth County, Iowa residents are obese?
33.7% of adults in Plymouth County, Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.6 points below the Iowa rate of 37.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Plymouth County, Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 32,688 cigarettes a day, 980,642 a month, or 11.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 359,569 minutes a day and 131.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Plymouth County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.09 lifetimes a year.
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