Health Profile of Howard County, Maryland
Howard 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+
Howard County Top gradeAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Maryland
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Howard County | Maryland Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.7 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.2% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 8.2% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Howard County is 81.7 years, about 3.3 years longer than the Maryland average of 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 4.2%, lower than the Maryland average of 6.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 8.2% of residents, lower than the Maryland average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
110,292 residents in Howard County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 4,986 1,803 men · 3,183 women
- 75–84 12,196 5,301 men · 6,894 women
- 65–74 26,521 12,451 men · 14,069 women
- 50–64 66,590 32,709 men · 33,880 women
Younger residents
78,202 residents in Howard County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 26,406 13,355 boys · 13,051 girls
- 7–12 23,830 12,187 boys · 11,643 girls
- 3–7 16,480 8,547 boys · 7,934 girls
- 0–3 11,486 5,951 boys · 5,535 girls
About 8,086 residents in Howard County (2.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Howard County | Maryland Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.0% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.0% | 6.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 26.4% | 34.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Howard County is about 32% lower than in Maryland. The rate of diabetes in Howard County is about 24% lower than in Maryland. The rate of obesity in Howard County is about 22% lower than in Maryland.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Howard County | Maryland Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 9.5% | 15.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.1% | 14.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 16.4% | 22.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Howard County is about 41% lower than in Maryland. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Howard County is about 28% lower than in Maryland.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 242,816 cigarettes a day, 7.3 million a month, or 88.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 974.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Howard County is 81.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 23 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 | Howard County | Maryland Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.40 | 5.95 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Howard County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Howard County, MD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Howard County, MD is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 336,328 residents against a local median of 764,548. Nothing separates Howard County, MD sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 7% below the local median at 4.2% against 4.5%. Howard County, MD has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, MD | 336,328 | 81.7 yrs #2/5 | 4.2% #3/5 | 26.4% #3/5 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 1,065,586 | 83.0 yrs | 7.0% | 21.3% |
| Carroll County, MD | 175,325 | 78.4 yrs | 2.9% | 30.4% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 678,314 | 76.4 yrs | 3.6% | 25.3% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 850,783 | 78.1 yrs | 5.4% | 30.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Howard County, Maryland has an overall health index grade of A+, making it notably better than Maryland, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Howard County, Maryland.
Is Howard County, Maryland a healthy place to live?
Howard County, Maryland 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.
Is Howard County, Maryland one of the healthiest counties in Maryland?
Howard County ranks 2nd healthiest out of 24 counties in Maryland by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Howard County, Maryland?
People in Howard County, Maryland can expect to live 81.7 years on average, 3.3 years longer than the Maryland average of 78.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Howard County, Maryland?
4.2% of residents in Howard County, Maryland have no health insurance, about 1 in 24 people, 2.0 points below the Maryland rate of 6.3%.
What is the obesity rate in Howard County, Maryland?
26.4% of adults in Howard County, Maryland are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 7.6 points below the Maryland rate of 34.0%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Howard County, Maryland go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 242,816 cigarettes a day, 7.3 million a month, or 88.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.7 million minutes a day and 974.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Howard County is 81.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 23 lifetimes a year.
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