Health Profile of Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Orleans 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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C
Orleans Parish Below averageHealthier than 84% of counties in Louisiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Orleans Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.1% | 7.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 20.9% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Orleans Parish is 75.3 years, about 0.2 years longer than the Louisiana average of 75.1 years. The uninsured rate is 8.1%, higher than the Louisiana average of 7.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 20.9% of residents, lower than the Louisiana average of 22.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
124,611 residents in Orleans Parish are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 6,723 2,130 men · 4,593 women
- 75–84 15,341 6,214 men · 9,127 women
- 65–74 32,802 14,871 men · 17,931 women
- 50–64 69,745 33,077 men · 36,669 women
Younger residents
70,071 residents in Orleans Parish are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 21,574 10,447 boys · 11,127 girls
- 7–12 20,287 10,141 boys · 10,146 girls
- 3–7 15,870 8,139 boys · 7,731 girls
- 0–3 12,340 6,305 boys · 6,036 girls
About 21,558 residents in Orleans Parish (5.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Orleans Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.1% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.9% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Orleans Parish is about 21% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of obesity in Orleans Parish is about 18% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of cancer in Orleans Parish is about 17% lower than in Louisiana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Orleans Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.5% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.4% | 18.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 28.3% | 33.8% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Orleans Parish is about 18% lower than in Louisiana. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Orleans Parish is about 16% lower than in Louisiana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 582,057 cigarettes a day, 17.5 million a month, or 212.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.4 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orleans Parish is 75.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.16 lifetimes a day, or 59 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 | Orleans Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.76 | 7.40 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Orleans Parish is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Orleans Parish, LA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Orleans Parish, LA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 371,664 residents against a local median of 51,396. Orleans Parish, LA's uninsured, at 8.1%, runs 15% above the 7.0% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.7% on uninsured, so Orleans Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Orleans Parish, LA has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans Parish, LA | 371,664 | 75.3 yrs #5/6 | 8.1% #4/6 | 32.9% #2/6 |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 272,409 | 77.6 yrs | 6.8% | 31.8% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 430,689 | 76.2 yrs | 11.4% | 38.5% |
| St. Charles Parish, LA | 51,396 | 76.9 yrs | 7.0% | 37.2% |
| St. John the Baptist Parish, LA | 40,683 | 75.0 yrs | 6.7% | 43.3% |
| Hancock County, MS | 46,167 | 76.2 yrs | 9.3% | 34.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Orleans Parish, Louisiana has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Louisiana, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
What is the health grade for Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
Orleans Parish, Louisiana 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana one of the healthiest counties in Louisiana?
Orleans Parish ranks 11th 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
People in Orleans Parish, Louisiana can expect to live 75.3 years on average, about the same as the Louisiana average of 75.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
8.1% of residents in Orleans Parish, Louisiana have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, about the same as the Louisiana rate of 7.8%.
What is the obesity rate in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
32.9% of adults in Orleans 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 582,057 cigarettes a day, 17.5 million a month, or 212.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.4 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orleans Parish is 75.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.16 lifetimes a day, or 59 lifetimes a year.
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