Health Profile of Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville 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+
Somerville Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Somerville | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 1.9% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 7.3% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Somerville is 80.6 years, about 0.1 years longer than the Massachusetts average of 80.5 years. The uninsured rate is 1.9%, lower than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 7.3% of residents, lower than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
17,661 residents in Somerville are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 884 276 men · 608 women
- 75–84 2,364 868 men · 1,496 women
- 65–74 4,197 1,831 men · 2,367 women
- 50–64 10,216 4,987 men · 5,229 women
Younger residents
8,045 residents in Somerville are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,979 1,031 boys · 948 girls
- 7–12 2,065 1,046 boys · 1,019 girls
- 3–7 2,122 1,075 boys · 1,047 girls
- 0–3 1,879 967 boys · 912 girls
About 1,789 residents in Somerville (2.2% 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 | Somerville | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 5.2% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.5% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 3.2% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 20.2% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Somerville is about 44% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of diabetes in Somerville is about 39% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of cancer in Somerville is about 35% lower than in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Somerville | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 9.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.3% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 14.1% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Somerville is about 32% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Somerville is about 30% lower than in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 68,739 cigarettes a day, 2.1 million a month, or 25.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 756,134 minutes a day and 276.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Somerville is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.52 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 | Somerville | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.88 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Somerville is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Somerville, MA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Somerville, MA is the 2nd largest of the 6 cities compared here, 81,027 residents against a local median of 59,237. Where Somerville, MA breaks from the cities next to it is uninsured, sitting 43% below the local median of 3.4% at 1.9%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread 5.9% on uninsured, so Somerville, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Somerville, MA has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerville, MA | 81,027 | 80.6 yrs #3/6 | 1.9% #3/6 | 20.2% #3/6 |
| Cambridge, MA | 117,266 | 82.1 yrs | 1.7% | 19.1% |
| Medford, MA | 59,237 | 80.5 yrs | 3.4% | 21.7% |
| Everett, MA | 49,993 | 79.9 yrs | 6.9% | 26.2% |
| Malden, MA | 66,048 | 80.5 yrs | 4.9% | 23.4% |
| Arlington, MA | 46,270 | 83.7 yrs | 1.0% | 20.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Somerville, Massachusetts has an overall health index grade of A+, making it somewhat better than Massachusetts, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Is Somerville, Massachusetts a healthy place to live?
Somerville, 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 among the healthiest and longest-living in the country.
How long do people live in Somerville, Massachusetts?
People in Somerville, Massachusetts can expect to live 80.6 years on average, about the same as the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
What is the uninsured rate in Somerville, Massachusetts?
1.9% of residents in Somerville, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 52 people, 0.6 points below the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
What percentage of Somerville, Massachusetts residents are obese?
20.2% of adults in Somerville, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 5, 5.4 points below the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Somerville, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 68,739 cigarettes a day, 2.1 million a month, or 25.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 756,134 minutes a day and 276.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Somerville is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.52 lifetimes a year.
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