Health Profile of New Hanover County, North Carolina
New Hanover 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
New Hanover County Around averageHealthier than 91% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | New Hanover County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.6% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.0% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in New Hanover County is 77.8 years, about 0.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 9.6%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.0% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
85,986 residents in New Hanover County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 4,536 1,556 men · 2,980 women
- 75–84 11,965 5,113 men · 6,852 women
- 65–74 23,713 10,735 men · 12,978 women
- 50–64 45,772 21,909 men · 23,862 women
Younger residents
40,763 residents in New Hanover County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 13,285 6,815 boys · 6,470 girls
- 7–12 11,923 6,060 boys · 5,863 girls
- 3–7 8,879 4,502 boys · 4,377 girls
- 0–3 6,676 3,413 boys · 3,263 girls
About 12,381 residents in New Hanover County (5.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | New Hanover County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.8% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.2% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.2% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in New Hanover County is about 21% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of obesity in New Hanover County is about 21% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of diabetes in New Hanover County is about 21% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | New Hanover County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.7% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.7% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.4% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in New Hanover County is about 20% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in New Hanover County is about 19% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of smoking in New Hanover County is about 19% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 322,190 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 117.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in New Hanover County is 77.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 32 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 | New Hanover County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.90 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in New Hanover County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
New Hanover County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
New Hanover County, NC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 235,214 residents against a local median of 65,530. Nothing separates New Hanover 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 obesity, 13% below the local median at 28.2% against 32.4%. New Hanover County, NC has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County, NC | 235,214 | 77.8 yrs #2/6 | 9.6% #4/6 | 28.2% #1/6 |
| Pender County, NC | 65,530 | 77.2 yrs | 8.8% | 32.4% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 152,554 | 77.1 yrs | 7.5% | 31.8% |
| Onslow County, NC | 207,702 | 77.0 yrs | 9.5% | 30.7% |
| Duplin County, NC | 49,292 | 79.5 yrs | 15.0% | 40.3% |
| Columbus County, NC | 50,166 | 74.2 yrs | 12.7% | 42.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina.
Is New Hanover County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
New Hanover County ranks 10th 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina?
People in New Hanover County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.8 years on average, 0.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What is the uninsured rate in New Hanover County, North Carolina?
9.6% of residents in New Hanover County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, about the same as the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What percentage of New Hanover County, North Carolina residents are obese?
28.2% of adults in New Hanover County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 7.5 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
What is the biggest health concern in New Hanover County, North Carolina?
Compared with North Carolina as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 17.7%, about 20% higher than the North Carolina rate of 14.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in New Hanover County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 322,190 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 117.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in New Hanover County is 77.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 32 lifetimes a year.
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