Health Profile of Ada County, Idaho
Ada 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
Ada County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Idaho
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Ada County | Idaho Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.4% | 9.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.2% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Ada County is 79.6 years, about 0.2 years longer than the Idaho average of 79.5 years. The uninsured rate is 6.4%, lower than the Idaho average of 9.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.2% of residents, lower than the Idaho average of 15.6%.
Population by Age
Older residents
163,660 residents in Ada County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 7,770 2,804 men · 4,966 women
- 75–84 19,721 8,782 men · 10,940 women
- 65–74 40,898 19,469 men · 21,429 women
- 50–64 95,271 47,165 men · 48,107 women
Younger residents
114,252 residents in Ada County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 38,050 19,740 boys · 18,310 girls
- 7–12 34,467 17,609 boys · 16,858 girls
- 3–7 24,312 12,343 boys · 11,969 girls
- 0–3 17,423 8,942 boys · 8,481 girls
About 16,704 residents in Ada County (3.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Ada County | Idaho Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.7% | 10.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.9% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.1% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 27.9% | 34.1% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Ada County is about 30% lower than in Idaho. The rate of heart disease in Ada County is about 29% lower than in Idaho. The rate of obesity in Ada County is about 18% lower than in Idaho.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Ada County | Idaho Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.3% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.5% | 14.4% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.6% | 24.1% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Ada County is about 27% lower than in Idaho. The rate of binge drinking in Ada County is about 21% higher than in Idaho. The rate of smoking in Ada County is about 19% lower than in Idaho.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 578,579 cigarettes a day, 17.4 million a month, or 211.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.4 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ada County is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 56 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 | Ada County | Idaho Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.69 | 4.67 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Ada County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Ada County, ID Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Ada County, ID is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 518,902 residents against a local median of 26,771. Ada County, ID's uninsured, at 6.4%, runs 31% below the 9.3% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 27.9% against a local median of 34.9%, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Ada County, ID is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 5.2% on uninsured, so Ada County, ID sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ada County, ID has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County, ID | 518,902 | 79.6 yrs #2/6 | 6.4% #1/6 | 27.9% #1/6 |
| Canyon County, ID | 250,790 | 77.9 yrs | 12.3% | 38.4% |
| Gem County, ID | 20,614 | 77.5 yrs | 11.1% | 33.1% |
| Boise County, ID | 8,309 | 81.6 yrs | 9.3% | 34.0% |
| Payette County, ID | 26,771 | 79.0 yrs | 7.1% | 35.9% |
| Elmore County, ID | 29,321 | 77.9 yrs | 9.1% | 34.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Ada County, Idaho has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Idaho, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Ada County, Idaho.
Is Ada County, Idaho a healthy place to live?
Ada County, Idaho 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 Ada County, Idaho one of the healthiest counties in Idaho?
Ada County ranks 3rd healthiest out of 42 counties in Idaho by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Ada County, Idaho?
People in Ada County, Idaho can expect to live 79.6 years on average, about the same as the Idaho average of 79.5.
How many people lack health insurance in Ada County, Idaho?
6.4% of residents in Ada County, Idaho have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 2.6 points below the Idaho rate of 9.1%.
What is the obesity rate in Ada County, Idaho?
27.9% of adults in Ada County, Idaho are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 6.2 points below the Idaho rate of 34.1%.
What health issue is more common in Ada County, Idaho than elsewhere?
Compared with Idaho as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 17.5%, about 21% higher than the Idaho rate of 14.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Ada County, Idaho go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 578,579 cigarettes a day, 17.4 million a month, or 211.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.4 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ada County is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 56 lifetimes a year.
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