Health Profile of Missoula County, Montana
Missoula 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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A
Missoula County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Montana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Missoula County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.1 | 79.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.1% | 8.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.4% | 14.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Missoula County is 79.1 years, about 0.2 years longer than the Montana average of 79.0 years. The uninsured rate is 6.1%, lower than the Montana average of 8.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.4% of residents, lower than the Montana average of 14.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
38,118 residents in Missoula County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,883 747 men · 1,136 women
- 75–84 4,847 2,389 men · 2,459 women
- 65–74 10,581 5,089 men · 5,493 women
- 50–64 20,806 10,558 men · 10,248 women
Younger residents
21,312 residents in Missoula County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 7,183 3,675 boys · 3,508 girls
- 7–12 6,283 3,244 boys · 3,039 girls
- 3–7 4,476 2,319 boys · 2,157 girls
- 0–3 3,370 1,758 boys · 1,612 girls
About 4,251 residents in Missoula County (3.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.1 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Missoula County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.9% | 10.8% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.6% | 7.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.9% | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 25.7% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Missoula County is about 36% lower than in Montana. The rate of heart disease in Missoula County is about 36% lower than in Montana. The rate of cancer in Missoula County is about 27% lower than in Montana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Missoula County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.2% | 18.8% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 23.6% | 19.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 14.4% | 22.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Missoula County is about 36% lower than in Montana. The rate of smoking in Missoula County is about 24% lower than in Montana. The rate of binge drinking in Missoula County is about 18% higher than in Montana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 140,400 cigarettes a day, 4.2 million a month, or 51.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.5 million minutes a day and 563.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Missoula County is 79.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 14 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 | Missoula County | Montana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.21 | 4.05 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Missoula County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Missoula County, MT Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Missoula County, MT is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 120,671 residents against a local median of 7,053. Missoula County, MT's uninsured, at 6.1%, runs 34% below the 9.1% 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: 25.7% against a local median of 32.4%, 21% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Missoula County, MT is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 8.0% on uninsured, so Missoula County, MT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Missoula County, MT has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula County, MT | 120,671 | 79.1 yrs #4/6 | 6.1% #1/6 | 25.7% #1/6 |
| Lake County, MT | 32,553 | 79.9 yrs | 14.5% | 32.5% |
| Granite County, MT | 3,462 | 87.0 yrs | 8.5% | 30.4% |
| Ravalli County, MT | 46,722 | 80.2 yrs | 10.5% | 30.5% |
| Powell County, MT | 7,053 | 78.0 yrs | 6.4% | 32.4% |
| Mineral County, MT | 4,955 | 77.9 yrs | 9.1% | 33.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Missoula County, Montana has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than Montana, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Missoula County, Montana.
How healthy is Missoula County, Montana?
Missoula County, Montana has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Missoula County, Montana one of the healthiest counties in Montana?
Missoula County ranks 2nd 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 Missoula County, Montana?
People in Missoula County, Montana can expect to live 79.1 years on average, about the same as the Montana average of 79.0.
What percentage of Missoula County, Montana residents are uninsured?
6.1% of residents in Missoula County, Montana have no health insurance, about 1 in 17 people, 2.5 points below the Montana rate of 8.6%.
What percentage of Missoula County, Montana residents are obese?
25.7% of adults in Missoula County, Montana are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 5.7 points below the Montana rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Missoula County, Montana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 140,400 cigarettes a day, 4.2 million a month, or 51.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.5 million minutes a day and 563.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Missoula County is 79.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 14 lifetimes a year.
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