Health Profile of Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Barnstable 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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A
Barnstable County Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Barnstable County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.4 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.7% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.2% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Barnstable County is about the same as in Massachusetts, at 80.4 years. The uninsured rate is 2.7%, higher than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.2% of residents, lower than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
124,818 residents in Barnstable County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 9,254 3,544 men · 5,710 women
- 75–84 21,478 9,218 men · 12,260 women
- 65–74 37,901 17,366 men · 20,534 women
- 50–64 56,184 25,863 men · 30,321 women
Younger residents
32,223 residents in Barnstable County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 10,587 5,491 boys · 5,096 girls
- 7–12 9,658 4,956 boys · 4,702 girls
- 3–7 7,082 3,704 boys · 3,378 girls
- 0–3 4,896 2,607 boys · 2,289 girls
About 16,991 residents in Barnstable County (7.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Barnstable County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.2% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 9.3% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.3% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 25.3% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Barnstable County is about 34% higher than in Massachusetts. The rate of heart disease in Barnstable County is about 26% higher than in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Barnstable County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12.5% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.7% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.9% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Barnstable County are about the same as in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 248,091 cigarettes a day, 7.4 million a month, or 90.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 996.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Barnstable County is 80.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 24 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 | Barnstable County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.85 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Barnstable County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Barnstable County, MA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Barnstable County, MA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 231,272 residents against a local median of 534,586. Nothing separates Barnstable County, MA sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 14% below the local median at 2.7% against 3.1%. Barnstable County, MA has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County, MA | 231,272 | 80.4 yrs #3/6 | 2.7% #3/6 | 25.3% #5/6 |
| Nantucket County, MA | 14,483 | 81.9 yrs | 7.8% | 24.8% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 534,586 | 80.0 yrs | 2.5% | 25.0% |
| Dukes County, MA | 20,933 | 81.3 yrs | 2.1% | 25.1% |
| Bristol County, MA | 582,104 | 78.5 yrs | 3.3% | 27.6% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 779,263 | 79.6 yrs | 3.1% | 22.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Barnstable County, Massachusetts has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Massachusetts, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
What is the health grade for Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
Barnstable County, Massachusetts has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Barnstable County, Massachusetts one of the healthiest counties in Massachusetts?
Barnstable County ranks 7th healthiest out of 14 counties in Massachusetts by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
People in Barnstable County, Massachusetts can expect to live 80.4 years on average, about the same as the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
What percentage of Barnstable County, Massachusetts residents are uninsured?
2.7% of residents in Barnstable County, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 38 people, about the same as the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
25.3% of adults in Barnstable County, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, about the same as the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Barnstable County, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 248,091 cigarettes a day, 7.4 million a month, or 90.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 996.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Barnstable County is 80.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 24 lifetimes a year.
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