Health Profile of Cherokee County, North Carolina
Cherokee 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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C
Cherokee County Below averageLess healthy than 72% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Cherokee County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Cherokee County is 76.2 years, about 0.9 years shorter 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 17.3% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
15,261 residents in Cherokee County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 804 296 men · 508 women
- 75–84 2,523 1,179 men · 1,344 women
- 65–74 4,926 2,353 men · 2,574 women
- 50–64 7,008 3,386 men · 3,622 women
Younger residents
4,750 residents in Cherokee County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,672 859 boys · 814 girls
- 7–12 1,410 731 boys · 678 girls
- 3–7 970 500 boys · 470 girls
- 0–3 698 351 boys · 346 girls
About 2,963 residents in Cherokee County (10.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Cherokee County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.5% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.5% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.4% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.7% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Cherokee County is about 25% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of cancer in Cherokee County is about 25% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Cherokee County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.3% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.7% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Cherokee County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 53,136 cigarettes a day, 1.6 million a month, or 19.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 584,496 minutes a day and 213.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cherokee County is 76.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.33 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 | Cherokee County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.81 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Cherokee County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Cherokee County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Cherokee County, NC is typical in size for this group, 29,563 residents against a local median of 25,731, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Cherokee County, NC an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 8% below the local median at 12.5% against 13.7%. Cherokee County, NC has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, NC | 29,563 | 76.2 yrs #3/6 | 12.5% #3/6 | 33.7% #4/6 |
| Union County, GA | 26,304 | 77.7 yrs | 13.7% | 31.9% |
| Graham County, NC | 8,067 | 75.2 yrs | 12.5% | 34.0% |
| Clay County, NC | 11,613 | 78.2 yrs | 15.9% | 32.4% |
| Monroe County, TN | 47,695 | 75.1 yrs | 11.7% | 36.5% |
| Fannin County, GA | 25,731 | 75.8 yrs | 14.4% | 30.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Cherokee County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with North Carolina, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Cherokee County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Cherokee County, North Carolina?
Cherokee County, North Carolina has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Cherokee County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Cherokee County ranks 72nd 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.
What is the average lifespan in Cherokee County, North Carolina?
People in Cherokee County, North Carolina can expect to live 76.2 years on average, 0.9 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Cherokee County, North Carolina?
12.5% of residents in Cherokee County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 2.7 points above the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What percentage of Cherokee County, North Carolina residents are obese?
33.7% of adults in Cherokee County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.1 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Cherokee County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 53,136 cigarettes a day, 1.6 million a month, or 19.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 584,496 minutes a day and 213.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cherokee County is 76.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.33 lifetimes a year.
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