Health Profile of Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Kalamazoo 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
Kalamazoo County Around averageHealthier than 82% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.7% | 4.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Kalamazoo County is 78.9 years, about 0.6 years longer than the Michigan average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 4.7%, lower than the Michigan average of 4.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.9% of residents, lower than the Michigan average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
81,716 residents in Kalamazoo County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 4,493 1,480 men · 3,014 women
- 75–84 11,713 5,081 men · 6,633 women
- 65–74 22,316 10,303 men · 12,013 women
- 50–64 43,193 20,879 men · 22,314 women
Younger residents
53,398 residents in Kalamazoo County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 16,615 8,470 boys · 8,145 girls
- 7–12 15,979 8,224 boys · 7,755 girls
- 3–7 12,055 6,279 boys · 5,776 girls
- 0–3 8,748 4,529 boys · 4,220 girls
About 10,562 residents in Kalamazoo County (4.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.6% | 12.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.1% | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.4% | 37.7% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Kalamazoo County is about 25% lower than in Michigan. The rate of diabetes in Kalamazoo County is about 20% lower than in Michigan. The rate of cancer in Kalamazoo County is about 19% lower than in Michigan.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.3% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.7% | 18.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 19.1% | 22.6% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Kalamazoo County is about 15% lower than in Michigan.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 398,154 cigarettes a day, 11.9 million a month, or 145.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.4 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Kalamazoo County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.11 lifetimes a day, or 39 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 | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.92 | 5.89 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Kalamazoo County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Kalamazoo County, MI Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Kalamazoo County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 262,419 residents against a local median of 60,969. Kalamazoo County, MI's uninsured, at 4.7%, runs 31% below the 6.9% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.9% on uninsured, so Kalamazoo County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kalamazoo County, MI has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 262,419 | 78.9 yrs #2/6 | 4.7% #1/6 | 39.4% #5/6 |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 60,969 | 76.6 yrs | 10.1% | 37.2% |
| Barry County, MI | 63,409 | 79.4 yrs | 5.2% | 36.5% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 133,799 | 76.3 yrs | 5.8% | 39.9% |
| Cass County, MI | 51,520 | 77.9 yrs | 6.9% | 35.9% |
| Branch County, MI | 45,300 | 77.2 yrs | 9.8% | 37.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
What is the health grade for Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County, Michigan one of the healthiest counties in Michigan?
Kalamazoo County ranks 16th 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.
What is the average lifespan in Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
People in Kalamazoo County, Michigan can expect to live 78.9 years on average, 0.6 years longer than the Michigan average of 78.3.
What percentage of Kalamazoo County, Michigan residents are uninsured?
4.7% of residents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan have no health insurance, about 1 in 21 people, about the same as the Michigan rate of 4.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
39.4% of adults in Kalamazoo County, Michigan are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.7 points above the Michigan rate of 37.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Kalamazoo County, Michigan go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 398,154 cigarettes a day, 11.9 million a month, or 145.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.4 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Kalamazoo County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.11 lifetimes a day, or 39 lifetimes a year.
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