Health Profile of Story County, Iowa
Story 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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A
Story County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Story County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.1 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.2% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.2% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Story County is 81.1 years, about 1.8 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2 years. The uninsured rate is 4.2%, lower than the Iowa average of 5.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.2% of residents, lower than the Iowa average of 13.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
24,899 residents in Story County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,749 701 men · 1,048 women
- 75–84 3,618 1,475 men · 2,143 women
- 65–74 6,579 3,111 men · 3,468 women
- 50–64 12,953 6,417 men · 6,536 women
Younger residents
15,789 residents in Story County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 4,589 2,258 boys · 2,331 girls
- 7–12 4,813 2,467 boys · 2,346 girls
- 3–7 3,782 1,960 boys · 1,822 girls
- 0–3 2,605 1,323 boys · 1,283 girls
About 3,030 residents in Story County (3.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.1 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Story County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.7% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.8% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.6% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Story County is about 40% lower than in Iowa. The rate of cancer in Story County is about 36% lower than in Iowa. The rate of diabetes in Story County is about 36% lower than in Iowa.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Story County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.3% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 23.4% | 20.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.9% | 25.4% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Story County is about 25% lower than in Iowa. The rate of smoking in Story County is about 24% lower than in Iowa.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 111,804 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 40.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.2 million minutes a day and 448.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Story County is 81.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 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 | Story County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.59 | 6.49 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Story County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Story County, IA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Story County, IA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 100,466 residents against a local median of 26,668. Story County, IA's obesity, at 29.6%, runs 22% below the 38.0% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 4.2% against a local median of 5.3%, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Story County, IA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 2.4% of each other on obesity, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Story County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Story County, IA has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story County, IA | 100,466 | 81.1 yrs #1/6 | 4.2% #2/6 | 29.6% #1/6 |
| Polk County, IA | 502,972 | 78.4 yrs | 5.3% | 35.7% |
| Hardin County, IA | 16,639 | 80.0 yrs | 5.0% | 38.0% |
| Hamilton County, IA | 14,886 | 80.2 yrs | 5.7% | 37.7% |
| Marshall County, IA | 40,114 | 79.0 yrs | 5.8% | 38.0% |
| Boone County, IA | 26,668 | 80.5 yrs | 3.3% | 38.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Story County, Iowa has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than Iowa, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Story County, Iowa.
What is the health grade for Story County, Iowa?
Story County, Iowa has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Story County, Iowa one of the healthiest counties in Iowa?
Story County ranks 2nd 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 Story County, Iowa?
People in Story County, Iowa can expect to live 81.1 years on average, 1.8 years longer than the Iowa average of 79.2.
What is the uninsured rate in Story County, Iowa?
4.2% of residents in Story County, Iowa have no health insurance, about 1 in 24 people, 0.8 points below the Iowa rate of 5.0%.
How common is obesity in Story County, Iowa?
29.6% of adults in Story County, Iowa are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 7.7 points below the Iowa rate of 37.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Story County, Iowa go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 111,804 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 40.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.2 million minutes a day and 448.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Story County is 81.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 lifetimes a year.
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