Health Profile of Ford County, Kansas
Ford 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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C
Ford County Below averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in Kansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Ford County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.9 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 15.9% | 8.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.7% | 15.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Ford County is 79.9 years, about 1.3 years longer than the Kansas average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 15.9%, higher than the Kansas average of 8.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.7% of residents, higher than the Kansas average of 15.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
9,431 residents in Ford County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 556 210 men · 346 women
- 75–84 1,126 446 men · 680 women
- 65–74 2,114 1,061 men · 1,052 women
- 50–64 5,635 2,962 men · 2,673 women
Younger residents
9,916 residents in Ford County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,930 1,561 boys · 1,370 girls
- 7–12 2,897 1,457 boys · 1,440 girls
- 3–7 2,318 1,147 boys · 1,171 girls
- 0–3 1,771 893 boys · 877 girls
About 1,030 residents in Ford County (3.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Ford County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.3% | 11.8% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.4% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.1% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.4% | 37.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Ford County is about 28% lower than in Kansas. The rate of heart disease in Ford County is about 20% lower than in Kansas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Ford County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.5% | 18.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.2% | 16.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 32.4% | 25.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Ford County is about 27% higher than in Kansas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 46,458 cigarettes a day, 1.4 million a month, or 17.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 511,036 minutes a day and 186.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ford County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.44 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 | Ford County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.02 | 6.38 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Ford County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Ford County, KS Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Ford County, KS is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 34,074 residents against a local median of 2,422. Where Ford County, KS breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 89% above the local median of 8.4% at 15.9%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 7.1% on uninsured, so Ford County, KS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ford County, KS has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford County, KS | 34,074 | 79.9 yrs #5/6 | 15.9% #6/6 | 40.4% #6/6 |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 1,652 | 81.8 yrs | 4.5% | 36.2% |
| Clark County, KS | 1,974 | 86.6 yrs | 6.8% | 35.6% |
| Gray County, KS | 5,701 | 86.2 yrs | 11.5% | 35.4% |
| Edwards County, KS | 2,779 | 78.3 yrs | 10.5% | 40.2% |
| Kiowa County, KS | 2,422 | 80.8 yrs | 8.4% | 36.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Ford County, Kansas has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Kansas, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Ford County, Kansas.
Is Ford County, Kansas a healthy place to live?
Ford County, Kansas has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Ford County, Kansas one of the healthiest counties in Kansas?
Ford County ranks 83rd 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.
What is the average lifespan in Ford County, Kansas?
People in Ford County, Kansas can expect to live 79.9 years on average, 1.3 years longer than the Kansas average of 78.6.
What percentage of Ford County, Kansas residents are uninsured?
15.9% of residents in Ford County, Kansas have no health insurance, about 1 in 6 people, 7.1 points above the Kansas rate of 8.8%.
What percentage of Ford County, Kansas residents are obese?
40.4% of adults in Ford County, Kansas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 3.1 points above the Kansas rate of 37.3%.
Which health problem stands out most in Ford County, Kansas?
Compared with Kansas as a whole, physical inactivity stands out most: the adult rate here is 32.4%, about 27% higher than the Kansas rate of 25.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Ford County, Kansas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 46,458 cigarettes a day, 1.4 million a month, or 17.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 511,036 minutes a day and 186.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ford County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.44 lifetimes a year.
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