Health Profile of Porter County, Indiana
Porter 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
Porter County Around averageHealthier than 95% of counties in Indiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Porter County | Indiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.0% | 7.4% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.5% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Porter County is 77.7 years, about 0.2 years longer than the Indiana average of 77.4 years. The uninsured rate is 5.0%, lower than the Indiana average of 7.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.5% of residents, lower than the Indiana average of 17.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
62,624 residents in Porter County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,271 1,034 men · 2,237 women
- 75–84 8,143 3,498 men · 4,646 women
- 65–74 16,645 8,059 men · 8,586 women
- 50–64 34,564 16,904 men · 17,660 women
Younger residents
36,016 residents in Porter County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 11,598 6,183 boys · 5,415 girls
- 7–12 11,001 5,554 boys · 5,447 girls
- 3–7 7,970 3,929 boys · 4,041 girls
- 0–3 5,446 2,819 boys · 2,628 girls
About 8,862 residents in Porter County (5.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Porter County | Indiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.6% | 11.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.0% | 7.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.9% | 38.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Porter County is about 17% lower than in Indiana. The rate of diabetes in Porter County is about 17% lower than in Indiana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Porter County | Indiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.9% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.3% | 16.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.4% | 27.6% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Porter County is about 20% lower than in Indiana. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Porter County is about 15% lower than in Indiana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 246,549 cigarettes a day, 7.4 million a month, or 90.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 989.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Porter County is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 24 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 | Porter County | Indiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.52 | 7.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Porter County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Porter County, IN Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Porter County, IN is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 174,798 residents against a local median of 33,234. Where Porter County, IN breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 25% below the local median of 6.6% at 5.0%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.3% on uninsured, so Porter County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Porter County, IN has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter County, IN | 174,798 | 77.7 yrs #1/6 | 5.0% #1/6 | 35.9% #2/6 |
| Lake County, IN | 498,291 | 75.2 yrs | 6.6% | 42.8% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 111,917 | 75.6 yrs | 5.9% | 39.1% |
| Starke County, IN | 23,365 | 73.9 yrs | 7.8% | 40.9% |
| Jasper County, IN | 33,234 | 77.2 yrs | 5.5% | 34.4% |
| Pulaski County, IN | 12,441 | 77.1 yrs | 7.0% | 41.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Porter County, Indiana has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Indiana, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Porter County, Indiana.
How healthy is Porter County, Indiana?
Porter County, Indiana 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 Porter County, Indiana one of the healthiest counties in Indiana?
Porter County ranks 6th healthiest out of 92 counties in Indiana by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Porter County, Indiana?
People in Porter County, Indiana can expect to live 77.7 years on average, about the same as the Indiana average of 77.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Porter County, Indiana?
5.0% of residents in Porter County, Indiana have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 2.4 points below the Indiana rate of 7.4%.
What percentage of Porter County, Indiana residents are obese?
35.9% of adults in Porter County, Indiana are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.8 points below the Indiana rate of 38.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Porter County, Indiana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 246,549 cigarettes a day, 7.4 million a month, or 90.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 989.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Porter County is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.07 lifetimes a day, or 24 lifetimes a year.
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