Health Profile of Polk County, Minnesota
Polk 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
Polk County Around averageLess healthy than 73% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.8% | 4.7% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.2% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, about 2.4 years shorter than the Minnesota average of 80.8 years. The uninsured rate is 5.8%, higher than the Minnesota average of 4.7%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.3% of residents, higher than the Minnesota average of 13.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
11,593 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 800 268 men · 532 women
- 75–84 1,783 740 men · 1,044 women
- 65–74 3,043 1,548 men · 1,495 women
- 50–64 5,967 3,069 men · 2,899 women
Younger residents
7,055 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,222 1,214 boys · 1,008 girls
- 7–12 2,110 1,111 boys · 998 girls
- 3–7 1,586 836 boys · 751 girls
- 0–3 1,138 629 boys · 509 girls
About 1,920 residents in Polk County (6.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.2% | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.5% | 7.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 7.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.7% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Polk County are about the same as in Minnesota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.4% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.1% | 19.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.4% | 22.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Polk County are about the same as in Minnesota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 42,684 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 469,519 minutes a day and 171.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.16 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 | Polk County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.54 | 5.25 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, MN Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, MN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 30,705 residents against a local median of 6,367. Polk County, MN's uninsured, at 5.8%, runs 21% above the 4.8% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 9.6% on uninsured, so Polk County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, MN has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, MN | 30,705 | 78.4 yrs #4/6 | 5.8% #4/6 | 37.7% #4/6 |
| Red Lake County, MN | 3,915 | 80.8 yrs | 2.3% | 37.6% |
| Norman County, MN | 6,367 | 78.2 yrs | 6.5% | 40.1% |
| Pennington County, MN | 11,337 | 80.0 yrs | 4.8% | 30.3% |
| Marshall County, MN | 8,909 | 85.4 yrs | 4.6% | 34.1% |
| Mahnomen County, MN | 5,358 | 77.2 yrs | 11.9% | 42.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Polk County, Minnesota has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Minnesota, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Polk County, Minnesota.
What is the health grade for Polk County, Minnesota?
Polk County, Minnesota 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 Polk County, Minnesota one of the healthiest counties in Minnesota?
Polk County ranks 64th healthiest out of 87 counties in Minnesota by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Polk County, Minnesota?
People in Polk County, Minnesota can expect to live 78.4 years on average, 2.4 years shorter than the Minnesota average of 80.8.
How many people lack health insurance in Polk County, Minnesota?
5.8% of residents in Polk County, Minnesota have no health insurance, about 1 in 17 people, 1.2 points above the Minnesota rate of 4.7%.
What is the obesity rate in Polk County, Minnesota?
37.7% of adults in Polk County, Minnesota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.1 points above the Minnesota rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, Minnesota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 42,684 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 469,519 minutes a day and 171.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.16 lifetimes a year.
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