Health Profile of Essex County, Massachusetts
Essex 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
Essex County Above averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Massachusetts
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.8% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.8% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Essex County is 80.6 years, about 0.1 years longer than the Massachusetts average of 80.5 years. The uninsured rate is 2.8%, higher than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.8% of residents, higher than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
302,734 residents in Essex County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 18,818 5,974 men · 12,844 women
- 75–84 39,304 16,893 men · 22,412 women
- 65–74 75,526 34,765 men · 40,762 women
- 50–64 169,086 81,102 men · 87,984 women
Younger residents
163,713 residents in Essex County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 52,331 26,463 boys · 25,868 girls
- 7–12 48,001 24,840 boys · 23,161 girls
- 3–7 36,289 18,875 boys · 17,414 girls
- 0–3 27,092 13,874 boys · 13,217 girls
About 33,160 residents in Essex County (4.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.6% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.7% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.6% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 27.3% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Essex County are about the same as in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.2% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.7% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Essex County is about 17% higher than in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 883,424 cigarettes a day, 26.5 million a month, or 322.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.7 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Essex County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 84 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.28 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Essex County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Essex County, MA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Essex County, MA is typical in size for this group, 810,585 residents against a local median of 729,949, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Essex County, MA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 14% above the local median at 27.3% against 24.0%. Essex County, MA has the 5th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 810,585 | 80.6 yrs #4/6 | 2.8% #4/6 | 27.3% #5/6 |
| Suffolk County, MA | 779,263 | 79.6 yrs | 3.1% | 22.7% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 319,036 | 80.6 yrs | 4.1% | 29.9% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 1,636,094 | 81.7 yrs | 2.4% | 21.2% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 729,949 | 81.5 yrs | 1.9% | 24.0% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 534,586 | 80.0 yrs | 2.5% | 25.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Essex 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 Essex County, Massachusetts.
How healthy is Essex County, Massachusetts?
Essex 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 Essex County, Massachusetts one of the healthiest counties in Massachusetts?
Essex County ranks 10th 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 average lifespan in Essex County, Massachusetts?
People in Essex County, Massachusetts can expect to live 80.6 years on average, about the same as the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
How many people lack health insurance in Essex County, Massachusetts?
2.8% of residents in Essex County, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 36 people, about the same as the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
How common is obesity in Essex County, Massachusetts?
27.3% of adults in Essex County, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 1.6 points above the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Essex County, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 883,424 cigarettes a day, 26.5 million a month, or 322.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.7 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Essex County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 84 lifetimes a year.
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