Health Profile of North Carolina
North Carolina 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
North Carolina Around averageLess healthy than 70% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in North Carolina
- Orange County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Wake County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Watauga County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Robeson County (95% of U.S. avg)
- Lenoir County (95% of U.S. avg)
- Halifax County (96% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | North Carolina | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in North Carolina is 77.1 years, about 1.2 years shorter than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 9.9%, higher than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.8% of residents, higher than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
3,741,973 residents in North Carolina are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 185,604 60,692 men · 124,912 women
- 75–84 504,682 212,110 men · 292,572 women
- 65–74 988,876 455,931 men · 532,945 women
- 50–64 2,062,811 1,003,668 men · 1,059,143 women
Younger residents
2,238,643 residents in North Carolina are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 709,108 361,567 boys · 347,541 girls
- 7–12 660,077 337,774 boys · 322,303 girls
- 3–7 500,522 256,603 boys · 243,919 girls
- 0–3 368,935 189,344 boys · 179,591 girls
About 563,173 residents in North Carolina (5.3% 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 | North Carolina | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.8% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in North Carolina are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | North Carolina | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in North Carolina are about the same as in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 17.3 million cigarettes a day, 520.1 million a month, or 6.3 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 190.7 million minutes a day and 69.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in North Carolina is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 4.71 lifetimes a day, or 1,718 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 | North Carolina | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in North Carolina is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
North Carolina Health Compared With Nearby States
North Carolina is the largest of the 6 states compared here, 10,724,323 residents against a local median of 5,295,781. The measure that sets North Carolina apart most is uninsured: 9.9%, 57% above the local median of 6.3%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 6.0% on uninsured, so North Carolina sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. North Carolina has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 10,724,323 | 77.1 yrs #3/6 | 9.9% #6/6 | 35.8% #3/6 |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | 77.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.3% |
| South Carolina | 5,295,781 | 75.8 yrs | 9.6% | 39.9% |
| West Virginia | 1,778,099 | 76.1 yrs | 6.0% | 40.3% |
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | 76.4 yrs | 3.6% | 25.3% |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | 78.4 yrs | 6.3% | 34.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in North Carolina.
Is North Carolina a healthy place to live?
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 North Carolina one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
North Carolina ranks 36th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in North Carolina?
People in North Carolina can expect to live 77.1 years on average, 1.2 years shorter than the US average of 78.3.
What percentage of North Carolina residents are uninsured?
9.9% of residents in North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 1.5 points above the US rate of 8.4%.
What percentage of North Carolina residents are obese?
35.8% of adults in North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.5 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 17.3 million cigarettes a day, 520.1 million a month, or 6.3 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 190.7 million minutes a day and 69.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in North Carolina is 77.1 years, that's roughly equivalent to 4.71 lifetimes a day, or 1,718 lifetimes a year.
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