Health Profile of Douglas County, Kansas
Douglas 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
Douglas County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Kansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Douglas County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.1 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.2% | 8.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.7% | 15.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Douglas County is 80.1 years, about 1.5 years longer than the Kansas average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 8.2%, lower than the Kansas average of 8.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.7% of residents, lower than the Kansas average of 15.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
31,456 residents in Douglas County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,392 426 men · 966 women
- 75–84 4,303 1,875 men · 2,428 women
- 65–74 8,415 4,000 men · 4,415 women
- 50–64 17,347 8,464 men · 8,883 women
Younger residents
20,810 residents in Douglas County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 5,991 3,077 boys · 2,914 girls
- 7–12 6,485 3,232 boys · 3,254 girls
- 3–7 4,979 2,499 boys · 2,480 girls
- 0–3 3,354 1,682 boys · 1,672 girls
About 3,168 residents in Douglas County (2.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.1 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Douglas County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.0% | 11.8% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.7% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 30.1% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Douglas County is about 43% lower than in Kansas. The rate of diabetes in Douglas County is about 40% lower than in Kansas. The rate of cancer in Douglas County is about 37% lower than in Kansas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Douglas County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.6% | 18.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.0% | 16.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.5% | 25.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Douglas County is about 28% lower than in Kansas. The rate of binge drinking in Douglas County is about 27% higher than in Kansas. The rate of smoking in Douglas County is about 17% lower than in Kansas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 154,690 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 56.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 621.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Douglas County is 80.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 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 | Douglas County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.55 | 6.38 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Douglas County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Douglas County, KS Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Douglas County, KS is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 120,302 residents against a local median of 83,123. Where Douglas County, KS breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 34% above the local median of 6.1% at 8.2%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 30.1% against a local median of 37.9%, 20% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: obesity runs ahead of the neighbourhood while uninsured runs behind it, so Douglas County, KS is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 3.8% on uninsured, so Douglas County, KS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Douglas County, KS has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, KS | 120,302 | 80.1 yrs #2/6 | 8.2% #5/6 | 30.1% #2/6 |
| Franklin County, KS | 26,106 | 77.1 yrs | 7.9% | 40.9% |
| Jefferson County, KS | 18,348 | 77.9 yrs | 5.4% | 37.6% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 83,123 | 77.2 yrs | 6.1% | 38.6% |
| Johnson County, KS | 619,445 | 80.7 yrs | 4.9% | 29.6% |
| Shawnee County, KS | 178,025 | 77.5 yrs | 8.6% | 37.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Douglas County, Kansas has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than Kansas, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Douglas County, Kansas.
What is the health grade for Douglas County, Kansas?
Douglas County, Kansas 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 Douglas County, Kansas one of the healthiest counties in Kansas?
Douglas County ranks 3rd healthiest out of 105 counties in Kansas by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Douglas County, Kansas?
People in Douglas County, Kansas can expect to live 80.1 years on average, 1.5 years longer than the Kansas average of 78.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Douglas County, Kansas?
8.2% of residents in Douglas County, Kansas have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 0.6 points below the Kansas rate of 8.8%.
How common is obesity in Douglas County, Kansas?
30.1% of adults in Douglas County, Kansas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 7.1 points below the Kansas rate of 37.3%.
What health issue is more common in Douglas County, Kansas than elsewhere?
Compared with Kansas as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 21.0%, about 27% higher than the Kansas rate of 16.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Douglas County, Kansas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 154,690 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 56.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 621.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Douglas County is 80.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 lifetimes a year.
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