Health Profile of Washington County, Mississippi
Washington 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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D
Washington County Well below averageLess healthy than 91% of counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Washington County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 72.3 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.6% | 11.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 29.2% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Washington County is 72.3 years, about 2.4 years shorter than the Mississippi average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 11.6%, higher than the Mississippi average of 11.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 29.2% of residents, higher than the Mississippi average of 23.5%.
Population by Age
Older residents
15,025 residents in Washington County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 714 194 men · 519 women
- 75–84 1,934 767 men · 1,166 women
- 65–74 4,135 1,860 men · 2,275 women
- 50–64 8,243 3,798 men · 4,445 women
Younger residents
10,770 residents in Washington County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 3,398 1,612 boys · 1,786 girls
- 7–12 3,162 1,578 boys · 1,584 girls
- 3–7 2,380 1,236 boys · 1,144 girls
- 0–3 1,829 929 boys · 901 girls
About 3,565 residents in Washington County (8.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 72.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Washington County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 18.0% | 14.7% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.8% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.5% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 45.5% | 41.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Washington County is about 23% higher than in Mississippi.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Washington County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.9% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 10.6% | 12.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 37.8% | 32.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Washington County is about 18% lower than in Mississippi. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Washington County is about 16% higher than in Mississippi.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 75,932 cigarettes a day, 2.3 million a month, or 27.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 835,252 minutes a day and 304.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 72.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.03 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 | Washington County | Mississippi Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.98 | 7.91 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Washington County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Washington County, MS Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Washington County, MS is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 42,708 residents against a local median of 9,757. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Washington County, MS an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 4% below the local median at 45.5% against 47.2%. Washington County, MS has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MS | 42,708 | 72.3 yrs #6/6 | 11.6% #5/6 | 45.5% #2/6 |
| Chicot County, AR | 9,757 | 74.5 yrs | 10.9% | 47.2% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 3,872 | 73.5 yrs | 16.9% | 49.6% |
| Humphreys County, MS | 7,395 | 77.1 yrs | 10.3% | 48.9% |
| Sunflower County, MS | 24,333 | 73.6 yrs | 11.4% | 46.0% |
| Bolivar County, MS | 29,520 | 74.7 yrs | 11.2% | 44.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Washington County, Mississippi has an overall health index grade of D, making it about on par with Mississippi, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Washington County, Mississippi.
Is Washington County, Mississippi a healthy place to live?
Washington County, Mississippi has a Map AI Health Index grade of D, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a D grade means residents face somewhat worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Washington County, Mississippi one of the healthiest counties in Mississippi?
Washington County ranks 75th 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.
What is the life expectancy in Washington County, Mississippi?
People in Washington County, Mississippi can expect to live 72.3 years on average, 2.4 years shorter than the Mississippi average of 74.7.
What is the uninsured rate in Washington County, Mississippi?
11.6% of residents in Washington County, Mississippi have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, 0.6 points above the Mississippi rate of 11.0%.
How common is obesity in Washington County, Mississippi?
45.5% of adults in Washington County, Mississippi are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 3.7 points above the Mississippi rate of 41.8%.
What health issue is more common in Washington County, Mississippi than elsewhere?
Compared with Mississippi as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 18.0%, about 23% higher than the Mississippi rate of 14.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Washington County, Mississippi go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 75,932 cigarettes a day, 2.3 million a month, or 27.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 835,252 minutes a day and 304.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 72.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.03 lifetimes a year.
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