Health Profile of Forsyth County, North Carolina
Forsyth 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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B
Forsyth County Around averageHealthier than 77% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Forsyth County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.8% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Forsyth County is about the same as in North Carolina, at 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 9.8%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.3% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
134,102 residents in Forsyth County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 7,310 2,302 men · 5,008 women
- 75–84 18,270 7,541 men · 10,729 women
- 65–74 34,691 15,575 men · 19,116 women
- 50–64 73,831 35,414 men · 38,417 women
Younger residents
84,483 residents in Forsyth County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 28,030 14,387 boys · 13,643 girls
- 7–12 24,806 12,520 boys · 12,287 girls
- 3–7 18,081 9,087 boys · 8,994 girls
- 0–3 13,566 6,920 boys · 6,645 girls
About 20,863 residents in Forsyth County (5.4% 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 | Forsyth County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.2% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.4% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.0% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Forsyth County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Forsyth County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.0% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.9% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Forsyth County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 541,547 cigarettes a day, 16.2 million a month, or 197.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.0 million minutes a day and 2.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Forsyth County is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 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 | Forsyth County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.24 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Forsyth County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Forsyth County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Forsyth County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 389,752 residents against a local median of 45,181. Nothing separates Forsyth County, NC sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 11% above the local median at 9.8% against 8.8%. Forsyth County, NC has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth County, NC | 389,752 | 77.1 yrs #4/6 | 9.8% #5/6 | 34.0% #3/6 |
| Stokes County, NC | 45,181 | 77.2 yrs | 7.6% | 36.7% |
| Davidson County, NC | 173,005 | 75.9 yrs | 9.4% | 34.7% |
| Davie County, NC | 44,122 | 77.6 yrs | 8.8% | 32.8% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 37,554 | 76.2 yrs | 12.0% | 33.8% |
| Guilford County, NC | 547,431 | 78.2 yrs | 8.4% | 35.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Forsyth 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 Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Is Forsyth County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Forsyth 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 Forsyth County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Forsyth County ranks 24th 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 Forsyth County, North Carolina?
People in Forsyth County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.1 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Forsyth County, North Carolina?
9.8% of residents in Forsyth County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, about the same as the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Forsyth County, North Carolina?
34.0% of adults in Forsyth County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.7 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Forsyth County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 541,547 cigarettes a day, 16.2 million a month, or 197.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.0 million minutes a day and 2.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Forsyth County is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 lifetimes a year.
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