Health Profile of St. Joseph County, Michigan
St. Joseph 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
St. Joseph County Around averageLess healthy than 71% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.1% | 4.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in St. Joseph County is 76.6 years, about 1.7 years shorter than the Michigan average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 10.1%, higher than the Michigan average of 4.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.2% of residents, higher than the Michigan average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
22,661 residents in St. Joseph County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,153 439 men · 714 women
- 75–84 3,258 1,432 men · 1,825 women
- 65–74 6,229 3,032 men · 3,198 women
- 50–64 12,021 5,986 men · 6,034 women
Younger residents
14,074 residents in St. Joseph County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 4,371 2,105 boys · 2,266 girls
- 7–12 4,270 2,220 boys · 2,050 girls
- 3–7 3,199 1,715 boys · 1,484 girls
- 0–3 2,234 1,155 boys · 1,079 girls
About 3,797 residents in St. Joseph County (6.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | St. Joseph 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 | 37.2% | 37.7% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in St. Joseph County are about the same as in Michigan.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | St. Joseph County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.5% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.9% | 18.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.7% | 22.6% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in St. Joseph County are about the same as in Michigan.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 104,014 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 38.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 417.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in St. Joseph County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 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 | St. Joseph County | Michigan Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.14 | 5.89 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in St. Joseph County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
St. Joseph County, MI Health Compared With Nearby Counties
St. Joseph County, MI is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 60,969 residents against a local median of 51,520. Nothing separates St. Joseph 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, 4% above the local median at 10.1% against 9.8%. St. Joseph County, MI has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, MI | 60,969 | 76.6 yrs #6/6 | 10.1% #4/6 | 37.2% #3/6 |
| LaGrange County, IN | 40,805 | 79.2 yrs | 44.4% | 36.9% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 262,419 | 78.9 yrs | 4.7% | 39.4% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 207,132 | 78.6 yrs | 14.2% | 37.7% |
| 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, St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, Michigan.
Is St. Joseph County, Michigan a healthy place to live?
St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, Michigan one of the healthiest counties in Michigan?
St. Joseph County ranks 59th 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 life expectancy in St. Joseph County, Michigan?
People in St. Joseph County, Michigan can expect to live 76.6 years on average, 1.7 years shorter than the Michigan average of 78.3.
What is the uninsured rate in St. Joseph County, Michigan?
10.1% of residents in St. Joseph County, Michigan have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 5.2 points above the Michigan rate of 4.9%.
What percentage of St. Joseph County, Michigan residents are obese?
37.2% of adults in St. Joseph County, Michigan are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.5 points below the Michigan rate of 37.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in St. Joseph County, Michigan go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 104,014 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 38.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 417.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in St. Joseph County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 lifetimes a year.
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