Health Profile of Avery County, North Carolina
Avery 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.
-
B
Avery County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Avery County is 79.2 years, about 2.1 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 12.5%, higher than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.6% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
7,532 residents in Avery County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 332 133 men · 199 women
- 75–84 1,221 559 men · 662 women
- 65–74 2,210 1,063 men · 1,147 women
- 50–64 3,769 2,065 men · 1,704 women
Younger residents
2,516 residents in Avery County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 815 390 boys · 425 girls
- 7–12 733 369 boys · 364 girls
- 3–7 553 278 boys · 276 girls
- 0–3 415 195 boys · 220 girls
About 951 residents in Avery County (5.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.2% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.0% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.4% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Avery County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.6% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.6% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Avery County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 30,783 cigarettes a day, 923,483 a month, or 11.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 338,610 minutes a day and 123.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Avery County is 79.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.97 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 | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.10 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Avery County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Avery County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Avery County, NC is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 17,672 residents against a local median of 55,114. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Avery County, NC an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 13% above the local median at 12.5% against 11.0%. Avery County, NC has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County, NC | 17,672 | 79.2 yrs #2/6 | 12.5% #5/6 | 33.4% #4/6 |
| Mitchell County, NC | 14,959 | 77.4 yrs | 9.3% | 31.3% |
| Watauga County, NC | 55,114 | 80.3 yrs | 9.3% | 28.3% |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | 75.0 yrs | 11.7% | 39.3% |
| Johnson County, TN | 18,196 | 73.7 yrs | 13.4% | 37.8% |
| Burke County, NC | 87,684 | 76.7 yrs | 11.0% | 33.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Avery County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than North Carolina, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Avery County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Avery County, North Carolina?
Avery County, North Carolina 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 Avery County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Avery County ranks 41st healthiest out of 100 counties in North Carolina by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Avery County, North Carolina?
People in Avery County, North Carolina can expect to live 79.2 years on average, 2.1 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Avery County, North Carolina?
12.5% of residents in Avery County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 2.6 points above the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Avery County, North Carolina?
33.4% of adults in Avery County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.3 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Avery County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 30,783 cigarettes a day, 923,483 a month, or 11.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 338,610 minutes a day and 123.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Avery County is 79.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.97 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →