Health Profile of Polk County, Iowa
Polk 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
Polk County Around averageHealthier than 77% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.3% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.6% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, about 0.9 years shorter 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 about the same share of residents as in Iowa, at 13.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
151,124 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 7,375 2,692 men · 4,683 women
- 75–84 18,927 7,680 men · 11,246 women
- 65–74 36,817 17,057 men · 19,760 women
- 50–64 88,005 44,125 men · 43,880 women
Younger residents
118,362 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 35,689 18,461 boys · 17,228 girls
- 7–12 35,132 17,560 boys · 17,572 girls
- 3–7 27,270 13,514 boys · 13,755 girls
- 0–3 20,272 10,280 boys · 9,992 girls
About 18,835 residents in Polk County (3.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.3% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.4% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.7% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Polk County is about 25% lower than in Iowa. The rate of cancer in Polk County is about 24% lower than in Iowa.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.7% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 23.5% | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.2% | 25.4% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Polk County are about the same as in Iowa.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 673,754 cigarettes a day, 20.2 million a month, or 245.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 7.4 million minutes a day and 2.7 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.18 lifetimes a day, or 66 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 | Polk County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.53 | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, IA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, IA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 502,972 residents against a local median of 54,398. Polk County, IA's uninsured, at 5.3%, runs 34% above the 3.9% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.5% on uninsured, so Polk County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, IA has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA | 502,972 | 78.4 yrs #6/6 | 5.3% #6/6 | 35.7% #2/6 |
| Warren County, IA | 54,398 | 79.7 yrs | 2.0% | 36.8% |
| Story County, IA | 100,466 | 81.1 yrs | 4.2% | 29.6% |
| Dallas County, IA | 107,966 | 81.7 yrs | 3.9% | 39.1% |
| Boone County, IA | 26,668 | 80.5 yrs | 3.3% | 38.1% |
| Jasper County, IA | 37,954 | 79.0 yrs | 4.5% | 39.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Polk 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 Polk County, Iowa.
Is Polk County, Iowa a healthy place to live?
Polk 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 Polk County, Iowa one of the healthiest counties in Iowa?
Polk County ranks 24th 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.
What is the life expectancy in Polk County, Iowa?
People in Polk County, Iowa can expect to live 78.4 years on average, 0.9 years shorter than the Iowa average of 79.2.
What percentage of Polk County, Iowa residents are uninsured?
5.3% of residents in Polk County, Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 19 people, about the same as the Iowa rate of 5.0%.
How common is obesity in Polk County, Iowa?
35.7% of adults in Polk County, Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.6 points below the Iowa rate of 37.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 673,754 cigarettes a day, 20.2 million a month, or 245.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 7.4 million minutes a day and 2.7 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.18 lifetimes a day, or 66 lifetimes a year.
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