Health Profile of Flathead County, Montana
Flathead 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
Flathead County Around averageHealthier than 83% of counties in Montana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Flathead County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.9 | 79.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.0% | 8.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.3% | 14.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Flathead County is 79.9 years, about 0.9 years longer than the Montana average of 79.0 years. The uninsured rate is 10.0%, higher than the Montana average of 8.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.3% of residents, lower than the Montana average of 14.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
42,351 residents in Flathead County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,000 750 men · 1,250 women
- 75–84 5,843 2,821 men · 3,022 women
- 65–74 12,191 6,058 men · 6,133 women
- 50–64 22,318 10,828 men · 11,490 women
Younger residents
23,958 residents in Flathead County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 7,495 3,737 boys · 3,759 girls
- 7–12 7,228 3,765 boys · 3,463 girls
- 3–7 5,400 2,806 boys · 2,594 girls
- 0–3 3,835 1,898 boys · 1,937 girls
About 4,244 residents in Flathead County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Flathead County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.4% | 10.8% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.0% | 7.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.3% | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.5% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Flathead County is about 22% lower than in Montana. The rate of heart disease in Flathead County is about 18% lower than in Montana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Flathead County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.6% | 18.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.5% | 19.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.7% | 22.5% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Flathead County are about the same as in Montana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 152,449 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 55.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 612.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Flathead County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 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 | Flathead County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.55 | 4.05 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Flathead County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Flathead County, MT Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Flathead County, MT is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 110,697 residents against a local median of 21,175. The measure that sets Flathead County, MT apart most is uninsured: 10.0%, 31% below the local median of 14.5%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 17.5% on uninsured, so Flathead County, MT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Flathead County, MT has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flathead County, MT | 110,697 | 79.9 yrs #2/6 | 10.0% #2/6 | 28.5% #2/6 |
| Lake County, MT | 32,553 | 79.9 yrs | 14.5% | 32.5% |
| Glacier County, MT | 13,635 | 75.1 yrs | 23.6% | 40.2% |
| Sanders County, MT | 13,282 | 79.6 yrs | 13.7% | 32.1% |
| Missoula County, MT | 120,671 | 79.1 yrs | 6.1% | 25.7% |
| Lincoln County, MT | 21,175 | 78.8 yrs | 14.9% | 33.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Flathead County, Montana has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Montana, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Flathead County, Montana.
Is Flathead County, Montana a healthy place to live?
Flathead County, Montana 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 Flathead County, Montana one of the healthiest counties in Montana?
Flathead County ranks 10th healthiest out of 53 counties in Montana by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Flathead County, Montana?
People in Flathead County, Montana can expect to live 79.9 years on average, 0.9 years longer than the Montana average of 79.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Flathead County, Montana?
10.0% of residents in Flathead County, Montana have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 1.5 points above the Montana rate of 8.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Flathead County, Montana?
28.5% of adults in Flathead County, Montana are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 2.9 points below the Montana rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Flathead County, Montana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 152,449 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 55.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 612.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Flathead County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 lifetimes a year.
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