Health Profile of Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham 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+
Waltham Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Waltham | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 82.6 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 8.7% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Waltham is 82.6 years, about 2.2 years longer than the Massachusetts average of 80.5 years. The uninsured rate is 2.9%, higher than the Massachusetts average of 2.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 8.7% of residents, lower than the Massachusetts average of 11.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
19,973 residents in Waltham are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,068 316 men · 752 women
- 75–84 3,107 1,296 men · 1,811 women
- 65–74 4,974 2,109 men · 2,864 women
- 50–64 10,824 5,589 men · 5,235 women
Younger residents
8,451 residents in Waltham are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,050 1,014 boys · 1,036 girls
- 7–12 2,238 1,015 boys · 1,222 girls
- 3–7 2,240 1,072 boys · 1,168 girls
- 0–3 1,924 974 boys · 950 girls
About 1,676 residents in Waltham (2.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 82.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Waltham | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.6% | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 21.0% | 25.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Waltham is about 26% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of diabetes in Waltham is about 22% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of cancer in Waltham is about 18% lower than in Massachusetts.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Waltham | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 10.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.5% | 17.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 16.4% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Waltham is about 28% lower than in Massachusetts. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Waltham is about 19% lower than in Massachusetts.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 56,263 cigarettes a day, 1.7 million a month, or 20.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 618,898 minutes a day and 225.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Waltham is 82.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.20 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 | Waltham | Massachusetts Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.14 | 5.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Waltham is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Waltham, MA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Waltham, MA is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 64,842 residents against a local median of 34,950. The measure that sets Waltham, MA apart most is uninsured: 2.9%, 124% above the local median of 1.3%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves sit within 0.8% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Waltham, MA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Waltham, MA has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham, MA | 64,842 | 82.6 yrs #4/5 | 2.9% #5/5 | 21.0% #5/5 |
| Lexington, MA | 34,306 | 86.7 yrs | 1.0% | 17.9% |
| Belmont, MA | 27,165 | 83.1 yrs | 1.8% | 19.6% |
| Newton, MA | 88,909 | 84.7 yrs | 1.3% | 18.9% |
| Watertown, MA | 35,594 | 81.8 yrs | 1.3% | 20.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Waltham, 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 Waltham, Massachusetts.
What is the health grade for Waltham, Massachusetts?
Waltham, 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.
What is the average lifespan in Waltham, Massachusetts?
People in Waltham, Massachusetts can expect to live 82.6 years on average, 2.2 years longer than the Massachusetts average of 80.5.
What is the uninsured rate in Waltham, Massachusetts?
2.9% of residents in Waltham, Massachusetts have no health insurance, about 1 in 35 people, about the same as the Massachusetts rate of 2.6%.
What percentage of Waltham, Massachusetts residents are obese?
21.0% of adults in Waltham, Massachusetts are classified as obese, about 1 in 5, 4.6 points below the Massachusetts rate of 25.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Waltham, Massachusetts go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 56,263 cigarettes a day, 1.7 million a month, or 20.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 618,898 minutes a day and 225.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Waltham is 82.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.20 lifetimes a year.
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