Health Profile of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire 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
Berkshire County Above averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Massachusetts
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Berkshire County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 1.7% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.9% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Berkshire County is 80.3 years, about 0.2 years shorter than the Massachusetts average of 80.5 years. The uninsured rate is 1.7%, lower than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.9% of residents, higher than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
58,684 residents in Berkshire County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,900 1,305 men · 2,595 women
- 75–84 9,179 4,032 men · 5,147 women
- 65–74 16,388 7,748 men · 8,640 women
- 50–64 29,217 14,249 men · 14,968 women
Younger residents
19,982 residents in Berkshire County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,621 3,398 boys · 3,223 girls
- 7–12 5,929 3,024 boys · 2,905 girls
- 3–7 4,358 2,223 boys · 2,135 girls
- 0–3 3,075 1,581 boys · 1,494 girls
About 7,456 residents in Berkshire County (5.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Berkshire County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.4% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.0% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 24.5% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Berkshire County is about 20% higher than in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Berkshire County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.1% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.8% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.3% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Berkshire County are about the same as in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 163,957 cigarettes a day, 4.9 million a month, or 59.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.8 million minutes a day and 658.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Berkshire County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 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 | Berkshire County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.87 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Berkshire County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Berkshire County, MA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Berkshire County, MA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 129,358 residents against a local median of 160,332. Where Berkshire County, MA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 51% below the local median of 3.4% at 1.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 24.5% against a local median of 30.1%, 18% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Berkshire County, MA is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 2.1% on uninsured, so Berkshire County, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Berkshire County, MA has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire County, MA | 129,358 | 80.3 yrs #3/6 | 1.7% #1/6 | 24.5% #2/6 |
| Columbia County, NY | 61,100 | 81.8 yrs | 3.4% | 30.7% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 160,332 | 79.1 yrs | 3.4% | 26.9% |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 104,183 | 80.1 yrs | 3.8% | 30.1% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 161,946 | 81.6 yrs | 1.7% | 21.9% |
| Hampden County, MA | 462,481 | 78.6 yrs | 3.0% | 32.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
What is the health grade for Berkshire County, Massachusetts?
Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, Massachusetts one of the healthiest counties in Massachusetts?
Berkshire County ranks 11th 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 Berkshire County, Massachusetts?
People in Berkshire County, Massachusetts can expect to live 80.3 years on average, about the same as the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
What percentage of Berkshire County, Massachusetts residents are uninsured?
1.7% of residents in Berkshire County, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 60 people, 0.9 points below the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
What percentage of Berkshire County, Massachusetts residents are obese?
24.5% of adults in Berkshire County, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 1.1 points below the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Berkshire County, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 163,957 cigarettes a day, 4.9 million a month, or 59.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.8 million minutes a day and 658.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Berkshire County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 lifetimes a year.
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