Health Profile of Benton County, Missouri
Benton 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.
-
C
Benton County Below averageLess healthy than 83% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Benton County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.6 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.2% | 8.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 21.8% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Benton County is 75.6 years, about 1.3 years shorter than the Missouri average of 76.9 years. The uninsured rate is 9.2%, higher than the Missouri average of 8.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 21.8% of residents, higher than the Missouri average of 19.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
10,894 residents in Benton County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 611 237 men · 374 women
- 75–84 1,828 898 men · 930 women
- 65–74 3,603 1,753 men · 1,850 women
- 50–64 4,852 2,472 men · 2,379 women
Younger residents
3,347 residents in Benton County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,158 619 boys · 538 girls
- 7–12 958 503 boys · 455 girls
- 3–7 694 360 boys · 334 girls
- 0–3 537 277 boys · 261 girls
About 2,290 residents in Benton County (11.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Benton County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.9% | 11.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 9.1% | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 10.7% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.8% | 38.1% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Benton County is about 29% higher than in Missouri. The rate of cancer in Benton County is about 25% higher than in Missouri. The rate of diabetes in Benton County is about 25% higher than in Missouri.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Benton County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.6% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.1% | 16.4% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 31.1% | 29.0% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Benton County are about the same as in Missouri.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 39,274 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 14.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 432,012 minutes a day and 157.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Benton County is 75.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.97 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 | Benton County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.19 | 6.78 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Benton County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Benton County, MO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Benton County, MO is typical in size for this group, 20,151 residents against a local median of 21,717, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Benton County, MO apart most is uninsured: 9.2%, 27% below the local median of 12.6%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 14.5% on uninsured, so Benton County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Benton County, MO has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, MO | 20,151 | 75.6 yrs #4/6 | 9.2% #1/6 | 40.8% #5/6 |
| Hickory County, MO | 8,585 | 82.2 yrs | 13.2% | 39.5% |
| Morgan County, MO | 21,717 | 75.4 yrs | 24.0% | 36.7% |
| Pettis County, MO | 43,397 | 77.8 yrs | 12.6% | 39.0% |
| Henry County, MO | 22,328 | 75.0 yrs | 9.5% | 42.7% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 9,587 | 77.9 yrs | 10.6% | 37.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Benton County, Missouri has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with Missouri, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Benton County, Missouri.
What is the health grade for Benton County, Missouri?
Benton County, Missouri has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Benton County, Missouri one of the healthiest counties in Missouri?
Benton County ranks 96th healthiest out of 115 counties in Missouri by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Benton County, Missouri?
People in Benton County, Missouri can expect to live 75.6 years on average, 1.3 years shorter than the Missouri average of 76.9.
What is the uninsured rate in Benton County, Missouri?
9.2% of residents in Benton County, Missouri have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, about the same as the Missouri rate of 8.8%.
How common is obesity in Benton County, Missouri?
40.8% of adults in Benton County, Missouri are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 2.7 points above the Missouri rate of 38.1%.
What health issue is more common in Benton County, Missouri than elsewhere?
Compared with Missouri as a whole, heart disease stands out most: the adult rate here is 10.7%, about 29% higher than the Missouri rate of 8.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Benton County, Missouri go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 39,274 cigarettes a day, 1.2 million a month, or 14.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 432,012 minutes a day and 157.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Benton County is 75.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.97 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →