Health Profile of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette 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
Lafayette Parish Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Louisiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Lafayette Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.7% | 7.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.9% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Lafayette Parish is 77.7 years, about 2.6 years longer than the Louisiana average of 75.1 years. The uninsured rate is 8.7%, higher than the Louisiana average of 7.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.9% of residents, lower than the Louisiana average of 22.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
75,716 residents in Lafayette Parish are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,783 1,261 men · 2,522 women
- 75–84 9,125 3,753 men · 5,372 women
- 65–74 19,051 8,844 men · 10,207 women
- 50–64 43,757 21,258 men · 22,499 women
Younger residents
57,616 residents in Lafayette Parish are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 17,688 9,031 boys · 8,657 girls
- 7–12 16,798 8,310 boys · 8,487 girls
- 3–7 13,123 6,530 boys · 6,592 girls
- 0–3 10,007 5,128 boys · 4,879 girls
About 9,797 residents in Lafayette Parish (4.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Lafayette Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.6% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.5% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.0% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Lafayette Parish is about 21% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of diabetes in Lafayette Parish is about 20% lower than in Louisiana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Lafayette Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.7% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 22.1% | 18.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 26.1% | 33.8% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Lafayette Parish is about 23% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of binge drinking in Lafayette Parish is about 20% higher than in Louisiana. The rate of smoking in Lafayette Parish is about 18% lower than in Louisiana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 370,386 cigarettes a day, 11.1 million a month, or 135.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.1 million minutes a day and 1.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lafayette Parish is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 36 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 | Lafayette Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.41 | 7.40 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Lafayette Parish is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Lafayette Parish, LA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Lafayette Parish, LA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 247,982 residents against a local median of 57,123. The measure that sets Lafayette Parish, LA apart most is uninsured: 8.7%, 32% above the local median of 6.6%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 1.4% on uninsured, so Lafayette Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lafayette Parish, LA has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 247,982 | 77.7 yrs #1/6 | 8.7% #6/6 | 35.0% #1/6 |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 56,955 | 74.3 yrs | 6.4% | 37.4% |
| St. Landry Parish, LA | 81,670 | 74.7 yrs | 7.2% | 38.6% |
| St. Martin Parish, LA | 51,353 | 75.5 yrs | 6.1% | 40.5% |
| Vermilion Parish, LA | 57,123 | 76.5 yrs | 7.5% | 39.6% |
| Iberia Parish, LA | 68,630 | 75.1 yrs | 6.6% | 38.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
What is the health grade for Lafayette Parish, Louisiana?
Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish, Louisiana one of the healthiest counties in Louisiana?
Lafayette Parish ranks 4th 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.
What is the life expectancy in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana?
People in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana can expect to live 77.7 years on average, 2.6 years longer than the Louisiana average of 75.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana?
8.7% of residents in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 0.8 points above the Louisiana rate of 7.8%.
What is the obesity rate in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana?
35.0% of adults in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 5.3 points below the Louisiana rate of 40.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 370,386 cigarettes a day, 11.1 million a month, or 135.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.1 million minutes a day and 1.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lafayette Parish is 77.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 36 lifetimes a year.
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