Health Profile of Jefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson 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
Jefferson County Around averageHealthier than 75% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Jefferson County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.6% | 8.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.9% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Jefferson County is 76.4 years, about 0.5 years shorter than the Missouri average of 76.9 years. The uninsured rate is 6.6%, lower than the Missouri average of 8.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.9% of residents, lower than the Missouri average of 19.0%.
Population by Age
Older residents
81,447 residents in Jefferson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,076 1,131 men · 1,945 women
- 75–84 9,560 4,159 men · 5,402 women
- 65–74 21,029 9,970 men · 11,059 women
- 50–64 47,782 23,532 men · 24,250 women
Younger residents
49,838 residents in Jefferson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 16,404 8,660 boys · 7,744 girls
- 7–12 14,929 7,768 boys · 7,161 girls
- 3–7 10,780 5,455 boys · 5,326 girls
- 0–3 7,725 3,940 boys · 3,785 girls
About 10,977 residents in Jefferson County (4.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Jefferson County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.6% | 11.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.4% | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 41.6% | 38.1% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Jefferson County is about 23% lower than in Missouri. The rate of diabetes in Jefferson County is about 19% lower than in Missouri.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Jefferson County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.2% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.4% | 16.4% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.2% | 29.0% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Jefferson County is about 19% higher than in Missouri.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 394,364 cigarettes a day, 11.8 million a month, or 143.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.3 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Jefferson County is 76.4 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 | Jefferson County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.22 | 6.78 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Jefferson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Jefferson County, MO Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, MO is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 229,447 residents against a local median of 51,016. Jefferson County, MO's uninsured, at 6.6%, runs 18% below the 8.0% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 41.6% against a local median of 35.7%, 17% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: uninsured runs ahead of the neighbourhood while obesity runs behind it, so Jefferson County, MO is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 7.9% on uninsured, so Jefferson County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Jefferson County, MO has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, MO | 229,447 | 76.4 yrs #3/5 | 6.6% #3/5 | 41.6% #4/5 |
| Monroe County, IL | 35,033 | 80.0 yrs | 2.5% | 35.1% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 995,111 | 78.6 yrs | 5.7% | 29.0% |
| Washington County, MO | 23,470 | 74.2 yrs | 10.4% | 41.7% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 66,999 | 73.8 yrs | 10.3% | 36.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Jefferson County, Missouri has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Missouri, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Jefferson County, Missouri.
What is the health grade for Jefferson County, Missouri?
Jefferson County, Missouri 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 Jefferson County, Missouri one of the healthiest counties in Missouri?
Jefferson County ranks 29th 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 Jefferson County, Missouri?
People in Jefferson County, Missouri can expect to live 76.4 years on average, about the same as the Missouri average of 76.9.
How many people lack health insurance in Jefferson County, Missouri?
6.6% of residents in Jefferson County, Missouri have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 2.2 points below the Missouri rate of 8.8%.
How common is obesity in Jefferson County, Missouri?
41.6% of adults in Jefferson County, Missouri are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 3.5 points above the Missouri rate of 38.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Jefferson County, Missouri go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 394,364 cigarettes a day, 11.8 million a month, or 143.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.3 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Jefferson County is 76.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.11 lifetimes a day, or 39 lifetimes a year.
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