Health Profile of Montana
Montana 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
Montana Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Montana
- Gallatin County (105% of U.S. avg)
- Missoula County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Granite County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Glacier County (93% of U.S. avg)
- Big Horn County (95% of U.S. avg)
- Roosevelt County (95% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Montana | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Montana is 79.0 years, about 0.7 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 8.6%, higher than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.7% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
413,809 residents in Montana are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 21,088 8,410 men · 12,678 women
- 75–84 60,273 28,250 men · 32,024 women
- 65–74 117,813 58,662 men · 59,151 women
- 50–64 214,634 106,892 men · 107,742 women
Younger residents
228,220 residents in Montana are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 73,821 37,984 boys · 35,837 girls
- 7–12 68,634 35,295 boys · 33,339 girls
- 3–7 50,071 25,777 boys · 24,294 girls
- 0–3 35,694 18,382 boys · 17,313 girls
About 52,848 residents in Montana (4.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Montana | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.8% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 31.4% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Montana are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Montana | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Montana is about 20% higher than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.7 million cigarettes a day, 49.6 million a month, or 604.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 18.2 million minutes a day and 6.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Montana is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.44 lifetimes a day, or 160 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 | Montana | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.05 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Montana is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Montana Health Compared With Nearby States
Montana is the 4th largest of the 6 states compared here, 1,116,812 residents against a local median of 1,929,983. Nothing separates Montana sharply from the states around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 2% above the local median at 8.6% against 8.4%. Montana has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 1,116,812 | 79.0 yrs #6/6 | 8.6% #4/6 | 31.4% #3/6 |
| Wyoming | 582,314 | 80.3 yrs | 11.3% | 31.9% |
| Idaho | 1,929,983 | 79.5 yrs | 9.1% | 34.1% |
| Utah | 3,390,702 | 80.0 yrs | 8.4% | 29.5% |
| Colorado | 5,842,429 | 80.0 yrs | 7.7% | 26.3% |
| North Dakota | 784,730 | 79.4 yrs | 6.5% | 35.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Montana has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Montana.
How healthy is Montana?
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 Montana one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Montana ranks 22nd healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Montana?
People in Montana can expect to live 79.0 years on average, 0.7 years longer than the US average of 78.3.
What percentage of Montana residents are uninsured?
8.6% of residents in Montana have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, about the same as the US rate of 8.4%.
What percentage of Montana residents are obese?
31.4% of adults in Montana are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.9 points below the US rate of 34.3%.
What is the biggest health concern in Montana?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 19.9%, about 20% higher than the US rate of 16.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Montana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.7 million cigarettes a day, 49.6 million a month, or 604.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 18.2 million minutes a day and 6.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Montana is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.44 lifetimes a day, or 160 lifetimes a year.
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