Health Profile of Lawrence County, Kentucky
Lawrence 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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D
Lawrence County Well below averageLess healthy than 88% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Lawrence County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 73.3 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.1% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 27.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Lawrence County is 73.3 years, about 1.7 years shorter than the Kentucky average of 75.0 years. The uninsured rate is 5.1%, lower than the Kentucky average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 27.9% of residents, higher than the Kentucky average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
6,105 residents in Lawrence County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 282 96 men · 187 women
- 75–84 712 331 men · 381 women
- 65–74 1,827 868 men · 959 women
- 50–64 3,283 1,611 men · 1,672 women
Younger residents
3,622 residents in Lawrence County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,234 664 boys · 569 girls
- 7–12 1,018 536 boys · 482 girls
- 3–7 750 389 boys · 361 girls
- 0–3 621 326 boys · 295 girls
About 1,250 residents in Lawrence County (7.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 73.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Lawrence County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.5% | 13.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.7% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.5% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 38.2% | 39.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Lawrence County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Lawrence County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 32.0% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.8% | 15.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 38.2% | 34.0% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Lawrence County is about 23% higher than in Kentucky.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 39,380 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 14.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 433,182 minutes a day and 158.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lawrence County is 73.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.11 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 | Lawrence County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.59 | 7.19 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Lawrence County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Lawrence County, KY Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Lawrence County, KY is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 16,077 residents against a local median of 22,334. Nothing separates Lawrence County, KY sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 8% above the local median at 5.1% against 4.7%. Lawrence County, KY has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, KY | 16,077 | 73.3 yrs #6/6 | 5.1% #4/6 | 38.2% #1/6 |
| Johnson County, KY | 22,334 | 74.1 yrs | 6.4% | 41.6% |
| Boyd County, KY | 47,914 | 74.5 yrs | 4.4% | 40.7% |
| Wayne County, WV | 38,164 | 75.7 yrs | 4.7% | 38.3% |
| Martin County, KY | 11,027 | 74.7 yrs | 1.6% | 39.3% |
| Elliott County, KY | 7,307 | 76.1 yrs | 8.0% | 43.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Lawrence County, Kentucky has an overall health index grade of D, making it about on par with Kentucky, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Lawrence County, Kentucky.
How healthy is Lawrence County, Kentucky?
Lawrence County, Kentucky has a Map AI Health Index grade of D, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a D grade means residents face somewhat worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Lawrence County, Kentucky one of the healthiest counties in Kentucky?
Lawrence County ranks 106th healthiest out of 120 counties in Kentucky by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
People in Lawrence County, Kentucky can expect to live 73.3 years on average, 1.7 years shorter than the Kentucky average of 75.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
5.1% of residents in Lawrence County, Kentucky have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 0.9 points below the Kentucky rate of 6.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
38.2% of adults in Lawrence County, Kentucky are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.5 points below the Kentucky rate of 39.7%.
Which health problem stands out most in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
Compared with Kentucky as a whole, smoking stands out most: the adult rate here is 32.0%, about 23% higher than the Kentucky rate of 26.0%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Lawrence County, Kentucky go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 39,380 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 14.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 433,182 minutes a day and 158.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lawrence County is 73.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.11 lifetimes a year.
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