Health Profile of Perry County, Kentucky
Perry 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
Perry County Well below averageLess healthy than 83% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Perry County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 71.9 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.4% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 28.0% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Perry County is 71.9 years, about 3.1 years shorter than the Kentucky average of 75.0 years. The uninsured rate is 2.4%, lower than the Kentucky average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 28.0% of residents, higher than the Kentucky average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
10,205 residents in Perry County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 382 163 men · 219 women
- 75–84 1,234 529 men · 705 women
- 65–74 2,786 1,342 men · 1,443 women
- 50–64 5,803 2,795 men · 3,009 women
Younger residents
6,149 residents in Perry County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,120 1,115 boys · 1,006 girls
- 7–12 1,773 950 boys · 823 girls
- 3–7 1,257 665 boys · 593 girls
- 0–3 998 508 boys · 490 girls
About 2,372 residents in Perry County (8.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 71.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Perry County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.1% | 13.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.6% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.1% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 41.7% | 39.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Perry County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Perry County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 29.7% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.3% | 15.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 37.2% | 34.0% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Perry County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 62,534 cigarettes a day, 1.9 million a month, or 22.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 687,871 minutes a day and 251.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Perry County is 71.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.64 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 | Perry County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.44 | 7.19 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Perry County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Perry County, KY Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Perry County, KY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 27,499 residents against a local median of 13,830. Where Perry County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 25% below the local median of 3.2% at 2.4%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.6% on uninsured, so Perry County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Perry County, KY has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County, KY | 27,499 | 71.9 yrs #5/6 | 2.4% #2/6 | 41.7% #1/6 |
| Leslie County, KY | 10,079 | 74.0 yrs | 2.3% | 42.2% |
| Knott County, KY | 13,830 | 73.8 yrs | 2.4% | 41.8% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 13,276 | 70.0 yrs | 3.2% | 42.3% |
| Letcher County, KY | 20,808 | 72.9 yrs | 3.4% | 45.1% |
| Harlan County, KY | 25,771 | 73.1 yrs | 4.9% | 45.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Perry 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 Perry County, Kentucky.
Is Perry County, Kentucky a healthy place to live?
Perry 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 Perry County, Kentucky one of the healthiest counties in Kentucky?
Perry County ranks 100th 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 life expectancy in Perry County, Kentucky?
People in Perry County, Kentucky can expect to live 71.9 years on average, 3.1 years shorter than the Kentucky average of 75.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Perry County, Kentucky?
2.4% of residents in Perry County, Kentucky have no health insurance, about 1 in 42 people, 3.6 points below the Kentucky rate of 6.0%.
What percentage of Perry County, Kentucky residents are obese?
41.7% of adults in Perry County, Kentucky are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 2.0 points above the Kentucky rate of 39.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Perry County, Kentucky go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 62,534 cigarettes a day, 1.9 million a month, or 22.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 687,871 minutes a day and 251.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Perry County is 71.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.64 lifetimes a year.
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