Health Profile of Washington County, Kentucky
Washington 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
Washington County Below averageHealthier than 71% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Washington County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.8 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.0% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 20.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Washington County is 76.8 years, about 1.8 years longer than the Kentucky average of 75.0 years. The uninsured rate is 11.0%, higher than the Kentucky average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 20.9% of residents, lower than the Kentucky average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
4,702 residents in Washington County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 286 55 men · 230 women
- 75–84 638 279 men · 358 women
- 65–74 1,283 598 men · 685 women
- 50–64 2,496 1,255 men · 1,241 women
Younger residents
2,659 residents in Washington County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 840 451 boys · 389 girls
- 7–12 788 404 boys · 384 girls
- 3–7 592 304 boys · 288 girls
- 0–3 439 244 boys · 195 girls
About 811 residents in Washington County (6.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Washington County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.3% | 13.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.9% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.9% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.8% | 39.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Washington County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Washington County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.9% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.3% | 15.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 33.3% | 34.0% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Washington County are about the same as in Kentucky.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 22,394 cigarettes a day, 671,820 a month, or 8.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 246,334 minutes a day and 89.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 76.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.23 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 | Washington County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.38 | 7.19 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Washington County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Washington County, KY Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Washington County, KY is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 12,140 residents against a local median of 23,027. The measure that sets Washington County, KY apart most is uninsured: 11.0%, 147% above the local median of 4.5%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 1.9% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Washington County, KY, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Washington County, KY has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KY | 12,140 | 76.8 yrs #2/6 | 11.0% #6/6 | 39.8% #5/6 |
| Marion County, KY | 19,749 | 76.3 yrs | 3.1% | 39.7% |
| Nelson County, KY | 47,606 | 75.8 yrs | 5.0% | 38.3% |
| Mercer County, KY | 23,027 | 76.7 yrs | 5.0% | 39.9% |
| Anderson County, KY | 24,353 | 75.9 yrs | 4.5% | 35.9% |
| Spencer County, KY | 20,193 | 76.8 yrs | 3.9% | 36.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Washington 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 Washington County, Kentucky.
How healthy is Washington County, Kentucky?
Washington 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 Washington County, Kentucky one of the healthiest counties in Kentucky?
Washington County ranks 36th 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 Washington County, Kentucky?
People in Washington County, Kentucky can expect to live 76.8 years on average, 1.8 years longer than the Kentucky average of 75.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Washington County, Kentucky?
11.0% of residents in Washington County, Kentucky have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, 5.0 points above the Kentucky rate of 6.0%.
What percentage of Washington County, Kentucky residents are obese?
39.8% of adults in Washington 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 Washington County, Kentucky go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 22,394 cigarettes a day, 671,820 a month, or 8.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 246,334 minutes a day and 89.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 76.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.23 lifetimes a year.
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