Health Profile of Brunswick County, North Carolina
Brunswick 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
Brunswick County Around averageHealthier than 76% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Brunswick County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.7% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Brunswick County is about the same as in North Carolina, at 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 7.5%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.7% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
81,044 residents in Brunswick County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,732 1,071 men · 1,661 women
- 75–84 11,465 5,568 men · 5,898 women
- 65–74 28,986 14,116 men · 14,870 women
- 50–64 37,861 17,295 men · 20,566 women
Younger residents
22,362 residents in Brunswick County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,941 3,533 boys · 3,408 girls
- 7–12 6,694 3,517 boys · 3,178 girls
- 3–7 5,100 2,689 boys · 2,410 girls
- 0–3 3,626 1,863 boys · 1,763 girls
About 10,982 residents in Brunswick County (7.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.1 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Brunswick County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.8% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 31.8% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Brunswick County is about 21% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Brunswick County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.3% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.6% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.4% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Brunswick County is about 16% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Brunswick County is about 15% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 227,113 cigarettes a day, 6.8 million a month, or 82.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.5 million minutes a day and 911.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brunswick County is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 22 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 | Brunswick County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.20 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Brunswick County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Brunswick County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Brunswick County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 152,554 residents against a local median of 65,530. Brunswick County, NC's uninsured, at 7.5%, runs 27% below the 10.2% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.9% on uninsured, so Brunswick County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brunswick County, NC has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick County, NC | 152,554 | 77.1 yrs #3/6 | 7.5% #1/6 | 31.8% #2/6 |
| New Hanover County, NC | 235,214 | 77.8 yrs | 9.6% | 28.2% |
| Columbus County, NC | 50,166 | 74.2 yrs | 12.7% | 42.9% |
| Pender County, NC | 65,530 | 77.2 yrs | 8.8% | 32.4% |
| Bladen County, NC | 29,571 | 76.9 yrs | 10.2% | 40.4% |
| Horry County, SC | 382,931 | 77.1 yrs | 11.7% | 34.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Brunswick 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 Brunswick County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Brunswick County, North Carolina?
Brunswick 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 Brunswick County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Brunswick County ranks 25th 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 Brunswick County, North Carolina?
People in Brunswick County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.1 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Brunswick County, North Carolina?
7.5% of residents in Brunswick County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 2.3 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What percentage of Brunswick County, North Carolina residents are obese?
31.8% of adults in Brunswick County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.9 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Brunswick County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 227,113 cigarettes a day, 6.8 million a month, or 82.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.5 million minutes a day and 911.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brunswick County is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.06 lifetimes a day, or 22 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 →