Health Profile of Kent County, Michigan
Kent 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
Kent County Around averageHealthier than 90% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.8% | 4.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Kent County is 79.7 years, about 1.3 years longer than the Michigan average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 4.8%, lower than the Michigan average of 4.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.8% of residents, lower than the Michigan average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
202,655 residents in Kent County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,661 3,738 men · 6,923 women
- 75–84 25,508 11,282 men · 14,226 women
- 65–74 50,352 23,539 men · 26,813 women
- 50–64 116,133 57,500 men · 58,634 women
Younger residents
150,420 residents in Kent County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 46,049 23,282 boys · 22,767 girls
- 7–12 44,701 23,201 boys · 21,500 girls
- 3–7 34,509 18,074 boys · 16,435 girls
- 0–3 25,161 12,949 boys · 12,212 girls
About 22,014 residents in Kent County (3.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Kent County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 12.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.4% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.6% | 37.7% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Kent County is about 31% lower than in Michigan. The rate of cancer in Kent County is about 24% lower than in Michigan. The rate of diabetes in Kent County is about 19% lower than in Michigan.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Kent County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.7% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.2% | 18.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.8% | 22.6% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Kent County is about 21% lower than in Michigan. The rate of binge drinking in Kent County is about 17% higher than in Michigan. The rate of smoking in Kent County is about 15% lower than in Michigan.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 897,382 cigarettes a day, 26.9 million a month, or 327.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.9 million minutes a day and 3.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Kent County is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.24 lifetimes a day, or 86 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 | Kent County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.83 | 5.89 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Kent County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Kent County, MI Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Kent County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 662,843 residents against a local median of 63,409. Kent County, MI's uninsured, at 4.8%, runs 23% below the 6.2% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.7% on uninsured, so Kent County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kent County, MI has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, MI | 662,843 | 79.7 yrs #1/6 | 4.8% #1/6 | 35.6% #2/6 |
| Ionia County, MI | 66,574 | 78.5 yrs | 5.2% | 39.9% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 67,816 | 78.7 yrs | 8.9% | 40.4% |
| Barry County, MI | 63,409 | 79.4 yrs | 5.2% | 36.5% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 50,792 | 78.1 yrs | 6.2% | 40.3% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 41,242 | 77.8 yrs | 7.8% | 35.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Kent 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 Kent County, Michigan.
Is Kent County, Michigan a healthy place to live?
Kent 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 Kent County, Michigan one of the healthiest counties in Michigan?
Kent County ranks 9th 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 Kent County, Michigan?
People in Kent County, Michigan can expect to live 79.7 years on average, 1.3 years longer than the Michigan average of 78.3.
What percentage of Kent County, Michigan residents are uninsured?
4.8% of residents in Kent County, Michigan have no health insurance, about 1 in 21 people, about the same as the Michigan rate of 4.9%.
What percentage of Kent County, Michigan residents are obese?
35.6% of adults in Kent County, Michigan are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.1 points below the Michigan rate of 37.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Kent County, Michigan go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 897,382 cigarettes a day, 26.9 million a month, or 327.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.9 million minutes a day and 3.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Kent County is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.24 lifetimes a day, or 86 lifetimes a year.
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