Health Profile of Dare County, North Carolina
Dare 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
Dare County Around averageHealthier than 89% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dare County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.6% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.7% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dare County is 78.8 years, about 1.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 8.6%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.7% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
16,928 residents in Dare County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 532 240 men · 292 women
- 75–84 2,155 972 men · 1,183 women
- 65–74 4,928 2,419 men · 2,509 women
- 50–64 9,313 4,395 men · 4,918 women
Younger residents
6,855 residents in Dare County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,223 1,078 boys · 1,146 girls
- 7–12 2,095 1,111 boys · 984 girls
- 3–7 1,508 845 boys · 663 girls
- 0–3 1,028 540 boys · 488 girls
About 1,663 residents in Dare County (4.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dare County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.4% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.2% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.5% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.8% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Dare County is about 24% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of obesity in Dare County is about 17% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dare County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.4% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 19.9% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Dare County is about 21% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of smoking in Dare County is about 20% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 51,114 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 562,257 minutes a day and 205.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dare County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.96 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 | Dare County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.03 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dare County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dare County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dare County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 37,875 residents against a local median of 10,925. Where Dare County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is obesity, sitting 23% below the local median of 38.5% at 29.8%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 8.6% against a local median of 11.0%, 22% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Dare County, NC is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 7.0% on obesity, so Dare County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dare County, NC has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dare County, NC | 37,875 | 78.8 yrs #3/6 | 8.6% #2/6 | 29.8% #1/6 |
| Tyrrell County, NC | 3,423 | 80.2 yrs | 13.9% | 39.8% |
| Hyde County, NC | 4,592 | 78.7 yrs | 15.6% | 38.5% |
| Currituck County, NC | 30,601 | 76.1 yrs | 8.8% | 33.3% |
| Pasquotank County, NC | 40,823 | 76.2 yrs | 11.0% | 39.7% |
| Camden County, NC | 10,925 | 81.1 yrs | 4.5% | 32.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dare 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 Dare County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Dare County, North Carolina?
Dare 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 Dare County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Dare County ranks 12th 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 Dare County, North Carolina?
People in Dare County, North Carolina can expect to live 78.8 years on average, 1.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Dare County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
8.6% of residents in Dare County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 1.2 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Dare County, North Carolina?
29.8% of adults in Dare County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 6.0 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dare County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 51,114 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 562,257 minutes a day and 205.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dare County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.96 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 →