Health Profile of Maryland
Maryland 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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B
Maryland Around averageHealthier than 72% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Maryland
- Montgomery County (106% of U.S. avg)
- Howard County (106% of U.S. avg)
- Frederick County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Baltimore city (98% of U.S. avg)
- Somerset County (98% of U.S. avg)
- Dorchester County (99% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Maryland is 78.4 years, about 0.1 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 6.3%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.2% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,172,064 residents in Maryland are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 118,053 40,037 men · 78,016 women
- 75–84 281,193 117,421 men · 163,773 women
- 65–74 542,651 248,351 men · 294,300 women
- 50–64 1,230,168 588,785 men · 641,383 women
Younger residents
1,336,881 residents in Maryland are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 418,323 214,857 boys · 203,466 girls
- 7–12 398,811 204,178 boys · 194,634 girls
- 3–7 300,750 153,146 boys · 147,604 girls
- 0–3 218,997 111,500 boys · 107,496 girls
About 287,069 residents in Maryland (4.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Maryland is about 16% lower than in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Maryland is about 16% lower than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 7.7 million cigarettes a day, 230.9 million a month, or 2.8 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 84.7 million minutes a day and 30.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Maryland is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.05 lifetimes a day, or 750 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 | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.95 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Maryland is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Maryland Health Compared With Nearby States
Maryland is the 4th largest of the 6 states compared here, 6,204,886 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest states, which makes Maryland an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 2% below the local median at 34.0% against 34.5%. Maryland has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | 78.4 yrs #3/6 | 6.3% #3/6 | 34.0% #3/6 |
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | 76.4 yrs | 3.6% | 25.3% |
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | 77.7 yrs | 6.3% | 36.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | 78.4 yrs | 5.6% | 34.5% |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | 79.4 yrs | 7.5% | 28.9% |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | 77.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Maryland has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Maryland.
What is the health grade for Maryland?
Maryland has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Maryland one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Maryland ranks 15th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Maryland?
People in Maryland can expect to live 78.4 years on average, about the same as the US average of 78.3.
What percentage of Maryland residents are uninsured?
6.3% of residents in Maryland have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 2.1 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
How common is obesity in Maryland?
34.0% of adults in Maryland are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the US rate of 34.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Maryland go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 7.7 million cigarettes a day, 230.9 million a month, or 2.8 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 84.7 million minutes a day and 30.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Maryland is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.05 lifetimes a day, or 750 lifetimes a year.
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