Health Profile of Somerset County, Maine
Somerset 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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C
Somerset County Below averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Maine
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 78.2 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.5% | 6.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.5% | 13.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Somerset County is 76.7 years, about 1.6 years shorter than the Maine average of 78.2 years. The uninsured rate is 7.5%, higher than the Maine average of 6.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.5% of residents, higher than the Maine average of 13.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
22,364 residents in Somerset County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 975 331 men · 644 women
- 75–84 3,175 1,481 men · 1,694 women
- 65–74 6,344 3,105 men · 3,239 women
- 50–64 11,870 5,891 men · 5,979 women
Younger residents
9,132 residents in Somerset County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,862 1,509 boys · 1,352 girls
- 7–12 2,714 1,400 boys · 1,314 girls
- 3–7 2,069 1,021 boys · 1,048 girls
- 0–3 1,487 725 boys · 762 girls
About 3,505 residents in Somerset County (6.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Somerset County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.8% | 10.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.6% | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.5% | 32.2% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Somerset County is about 18% higher than in Maine.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Somerset County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.7% | 18.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.7% | 15.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.2% | 22.8% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Somerset County is about 21% higher than in Maine. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Somerset County is about 19% higher than in Maine.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 94,554 cigarettes a day, 2.8 million a month, or 34.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.0 million minutes a day and 379.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Somerset County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 9.42 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 | Somerset County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.39 | 4.43 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Somerset County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Somerset County, ME Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Somerset County, ME is typical in size for this group, 50,956 residents against a local median of 59,255, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nothing separates Somerset County, ME 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, 5% below the local median at 7.5% against 7.9%. Somerset County, ME has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset County, ME | 50,956 | 76.7 yrs #5/6 | 7.5% #3/6 | 33.5% #2/6 |
| Franklin County, ME | 30,413 | 78.2 yrs | 7.9% | 30.9% |
| Piscataquis County, ME | 17,263 | 76.6 yrs | 10.1% | 34.2% |
| Kennebec County, ME | 126,799 | 77.8 yrs | 5.8% | 34.7% |
| Oxford County, ME | 59,255 | 78.9 yrs | 8.6% | 34.9% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 154,700 | 77.1 yrs | 6.3% | 34.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Somerset County, Maine has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with Maine, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Somerset County, Maine.
Is Somerset County, Maine a healthy place to live?
Somerset County, Maine has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Somerset County, Maine one of the healthiest counties in Maine?
Somerset County ranks 13th healthiest out of 16 counties in Maine by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Somerset County, Maine?
People in Somerset County, Maine can expect to live 76.7 years on average, 1.6 years shorter than the Maine average of 78.2.
What percentage of Somerset County, Maine residents are uninsured?
7.5% of residents in Somerset County, Maine have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 1.3 points above the Maine rate of 6.2%.
How common is obesity in Somerset County, Maine?
33.5% of adults in Somerset County, Maine are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.2 points above the Maine rate of 32.2%.
What health issue is more common in Somerset County, Maine than elsewhere?
Compared with Maine as a whole, smoking stands out most: the adult rate here is 22.7%, about 21% higher than the Maine rate of 18.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Somerset County, Maine go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 94,554 cigarettes a day, 2.8 million a month, or 34.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.0 million minutes a day and 379.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Somerset County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 9.42 lifetimes a year.
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