Health Profile of Forrest County, Mississippi
Forrest 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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C
Forrest County Below averageHealthier than 83% of counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Forrest County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 73.9 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.1% | 11.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 19.8% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Forrest County is 73.9 years, about 0.8 years shorter than the Mississippi average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 11.1%, higher than the Mississippi average of 11.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 19.8% of residents, lower than the Mississippi average of 23.5%.
Population by Age
Older residents
22,666 residents in Forrest County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,161 430 men · 731 women
- 75–84 3,190 1,172 men · 2,019 women
- 65–74 5,816 2,563 men · 3,253 women
- 50–64 12,499 5,962 men · 6,537 women
Younger residents
16,961 residents in Forrest County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 5,397 2,823 boys · 2,574 girls
- 7–12 4,882 2,485 boys · 2,396 girls
- 3–7 3,733 1,878 boys · 1,854 girls
- 0–3 2,949 1,518 boys · 1,431 girls
About 4,880 residents in Forrest County (6.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 73.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Forrest County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.6% | 14.7% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.2% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 38.5% | 41.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Forrest County is about 22% lower than in Mississippi. The rate of diabetes in Forrest County is about 21% lower than in Mississippi. The rate of cancer in Forrest County is about 17% lower than in Mississippi.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Forrest County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.0% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.6% | 12.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 30.1% | 32.5% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Forrest County are about the same as in Mississippi.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 121,140 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 44.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 486.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Forrest County is 73.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 13 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 | Forrest County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.65 | 7.91 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Forrest County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Forrest County, MS Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Forrest County, MS is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 78,271 residents against a local median of 18,894. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Forrest County, MS an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 8% below the local median at 38.5% against 41.6%. Forrest County, MS has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | 78,271 | 73.9 yrs #6/6 | 11.1% #2/6 | 38.5% #2/6 |
| Lamar County, MS | 65,698 | 76.4 yrs | 11.1% | 36.9% |
| Perry County, MS | 11,449 | 74.2 yrs | 15.8% | 43.1% |
| Stone County, MS | 18,894 | 74.1 yrs | 12.9% | 41.1% |
| Jones County, MS | 66,472 | 75.3 yrs | 11.9% | 41.6% |
| Covington County, MS | 18,148 | 74.9 yrs | 9.6% | 44.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Forrest County, Mississippi has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Mississippi, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Forrest County, Mississippi.
How healthy is Forrest County, Mississippi?
Forrest County, Mississippi 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 Forrest County, Mississippi one of the healthiest counties in Mississippi?
Forrest County ranks 15th healthiest out of 82 counties in Mississippi by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Forrest County, Mississippi?
People in Forrest County, Mississippi can expect to live 73.9 years on average, 0.8 years shorter than the Mississippi average of 74.7.
What is the uninsured rate in Forrest County, Mississippi?
11.1% of residents in Forrest County, Mississippi have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, about the same as the Mississippi rate of 11.0%.
How common is obesity in Forrest County, Mississippi?
38.5% of adults in Forrest County, Mississippi are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.4 points below the Mississippi rate of 41.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Forrest County, Mississippi go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 121,140 cigarettes a day, 3.6 million a month, or 44.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.3 million minutes a day and 486.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Forrest County is 73.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 13 lifetimes a year.
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