Health Profile of Bay County, Michigan
Bay 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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B
Bay County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.4% | 4.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Bay County is 77.0 years, about 1.3 years shorter than the Michigan average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 4.4%, lower than the Michigan average of 4.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.6% of residents, higher than the Michigan average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
42,699 residents in Bay County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,411 684 men · 1,728 women
- 75–84 6,330 2,822 men · 3,507 women
- 65–74 11,793 5,565 men · 6,228 women
- 50–64 22,164 10,820 men · 11,344 women
Younger residents
19,244 residents in Bay County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,250 3,101 boys · 3,149 girls
- 7–12 5,742 3,039 boys · 2,703 girls
- 3–7 4,269 2,284 boys · 1,984 girls
- 0–3 2,983 1,529 boys · 1,453 girls
About 7,194 residents in Bay County (7.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Bay County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.7% | 12.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.0% | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.3% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 38.6% | 37.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Bay County are about the same as in Michigan.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Bay County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.3% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.2% | 18.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.5% | 22.6% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Bay County are about the same as in Michigan.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 184,901 cigarettes a day, 5.5 million a month, or 67.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 742.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bay County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 18 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 | Bay County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.09 | 5.89 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Bay County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Bay County, MI Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Bay County, MI is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 103,008 residents against a local median of 52,980. Nothing separates Bay County, MI 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, 3% below the local median at 4.4% against 4.6%. Bay County, MI has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County, MI | 103,008 | 77.0 yrs #3/6 | 4.4% #2/6 | 38.6% #4/6 |
| Arenac County, MI | 15,076 | 77.0 yrs | 6.0% | 37.9% |
| Saginaw County, MI | 188,665 | 76.4 yrs | 4.5% | 44.0% |
| Midland County, MI | 83,757 | 79.8 yrs | 4.2% | 36.1% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 25,693 | 76.4 yrs | 8.1% | 39.0% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 52,980 | 78.2 yrs | 4.6% | 35.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Bay County, Michigan has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Michigan, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Bay County, Michigan.
What is the health grade for Bay County, Michigan?
Bay County, Michigan 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 Bay County, Michigan one of the healthiest counties in Michigan?
Bay County ranks 45th healthiest out of 83 counties in Michigan by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Bay County, Michigan?
People in Bay County, Michigan can expect to live 77.0 years on average, 1.3 years shorter than the Michigan average of 78.3.
What percentage of Bay County, Michigan residents are uninsured?
4.4% of residents in Bay County, Michigan have no health insurance, about 1 in 23 people, about the same as the Michigan rate of 4.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Bay County, Michigan?
38.6% of adults in Bay County, Michigan are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.9 points above the Michigan rate of 37.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Bay County, Michigan go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 184,901 cigarettes a day, 5.5 million a month, or 67.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 742.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bay County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 18 lifetimes a year.
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