Health Profile of Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Ascension Parish 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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B
Ascension Parish Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Louisiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Ascension Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.2% | 7.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.7% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Ascension Parish is 78.4 years, about 3.3 years longer than the Louisiana average of 75.1 years. The uninsured rate is 6.2%, lower than the Louisiana average of 7.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.7% of residents, lower than the Louisiana average of 22.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
37,714 residents in Ascension Parish are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,276 393 men · 884 women
- 75–84 3,997 1,748 men · 2,249 women
- 65–74 9,189 4,409 men · 4,780 women
- 50–64 23,253 11,503 men · 11,750 women
Younger residents
33,565 residents in Ascension Parish are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 10,413 5,311 boys · 5,102 girls
- 7–12 10,175 5,297 boys · 4,877 girls
- 3–7 7,584 3,872 boys · 3,711 girls
- 0–3 5,394 2,662 boys · 2,732 girls
About 3,566 residents in Ascension Parish (2.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Ascension Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.8% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.5% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.0% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Ascension Parish is about 26% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of heart disease in Ascension Parish is about 25% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of obesity in Ascension Parish is about 18% lower than in Louisiana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Ascension Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.1% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.6% | 18.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 28.8% | 33.8% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Ascension Parish is about 17% higher than in Louisiana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 202,414 cigarettes a day, 6.1 million a month, or 73.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 812.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ascension Parish is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 20 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 | Ascension Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.73 | 7.40 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Ascension Parish is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Ascension Parish, LA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Ascension Parish, LA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 130,307 residents against a local median of 29,819. Ascension Parish, LA's uninsured, at 6.2%, runs 24% below the 8.2% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 33.0% against a local median of 39.8%, 17% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Ascension Parish, LA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 3.9% on uninsured, so Ascension Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ascension Parish, LA has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish, LA | 130,307 | 78.4 yrs #1/6 | 6.2% #2/6 | 33.0% #1/6 |
| St. James Parish, LA | 19,390 | 76.5 yrs | 4.7% | 43.5% |
| Livingston Parish, LA | 148,115 | 76.0 yrs | 8.6% | 39.7% |
| Assumption Parish, LA | 20,480 | 76.8 yrs | 8.6% | 40.6% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 452,856 | 75.0 yrs | 8.2% | 37.3% |
| Iberville Parish, LA | 29,819 | 74.0 yrs | 8.1% | 39.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Ascension Parish, Louisiana has an overall health index grade of B, making it notably better than Louisiana, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
Is Ascension Parish, Louisiana a healthy place to live?
Ascension Parish, Louisiana has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Ascension Parish, Louisiana one of the healthiest counties in Louisiana?
Ascension Parish ranks 2nd healthiest out of 64 counties in Louisiana by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Ascension Parish, Louisiana?
People in Ascension Parish, Louisiana can expect to live 78.4 years on average, 3.3 years longer than the Louisiana average of 75.1.
What percentage of Ascension Parish, Louisiana residents are uninsured?
6.2% of residents in Ascension Parish, Louisiana have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 1.6 points below the Louisiana rate of 7.8%.
What percentage of Ascension Parish, Louisiana residents are obese?
33.0% of adults in Ascension Parish, Louisiana are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 7.4 points below the Louisiana rate of 40.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Ascension Parish, Louisiana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 202,414 cigarettes a day, 6.1 million a month, or 73.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 812.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ascension Parish is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 20 lifetimes a year.
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