Health Profile of Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer 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
Mercer County Below averageHealthier than 76% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Mercer County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.0% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 20.1% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Mercer County is 76.7 years, about 1.7 years longer than the Kentucky average of 75.0 years. The uninsured rate is 5.0%, lower than the Kentucky average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 20.1% of residents, lower than the Kentucky average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
9,052 residents in Mercer County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 410 154 men · 256 women
- 75–84 1,297 520 men · 777 women
- 65–74 2,349 1,117 men · 1,233 women
- 50–64 4,996 2,462 men · 2,534 women
Younger residents
4,960 residents in Mercer County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,388 787 boys · 601 girls
- 7–12 1,474 748 boys · 725 girls
- 3–7 1,220 631 boys · 589 girls
- 0–3 878 482 boys · 396 girls
About 1,449 residents in Mercer County (6.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Mercer County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.3% | 13.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.9% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.9% | 39.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Mercer County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Mercer County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.3% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.3% | 15.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 31.8% | 34.0% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Mercer County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,893 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 460,819 minutes a day and 168.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Mercer County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.17 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 | Mercer County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.37 | 7.19 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Mercer County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Mercer County, KY Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Mercer County, KY is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 23,027 residents against a local median of 27,278. The measure that sets Mercer County, KY apart most is uninsured: 5.0%, 20% below the local median of 6.3%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 6.6% on uninsured, so Mercer County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mercer County, KY has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, KY | 23,027 | 76.7 yrs #4/6 | 5.0% #2/6 | 39.9% #6/6 |
| Boyle County, KY | 30,941 | 76.5 yrs | 6.3% | 38.0% |
| Anderson County, KY | 24,353 | 75.9 yrs | 4.5% | 35.9% |
| Woodford County, KY | 27,278 | 77.3 yrs | 5.6% | 37.4% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 54,588 | 77.0 yrs | 6.9% | 36.5% |
| Washington County, KY | 12,140 | 76.8 yrs | 11.0% | 39.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Mercer County, Kentucky has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Kentucky, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Mercer County, Kentucky.
How healthy is Mercer County, Kentucky?
Mercer County, Kentucky 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 Mercer County, Kentucky one of the healthiest counties in Kentucky?
Mercer County ranks 30th 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.
How long do people live in Mercer County, Kentucky?
People in Mercer County, Kentucky can expect to live 76.7 years on average, 1.7 years longer than the Kentucky average of 75.0.
What percentage of Mercer County, Kentucky residents are uninsured?
5.0% of residents in Mercer County, Kentucky have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 1.0 points below the Kentucky rate of 6.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Mercer County, Kentucky?
39.9% of adults in Mercer County, Kentucky are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Kentucky rate of 39.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Mercer County, Kentucky go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 41,893 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 460,819 minutes a day and 168.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Mercer County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.17 lifetimes a year.
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