Health Profile of Onslow County, North Carolina
Onslow 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
Onslow County Around averageHealthier than 95% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Onslow County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.4% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Onslow County is 77.0 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 9.5%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.4% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
43,184 residents in Onslow County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,626 595 men · 1,030 women
- 75–84 5,921 2,485 men · 3,436 women
- 65–74 11,373 5,271 men · 6,101 women
- 50–64 24,265 11,505 men · 12,759 women
Younger residents
48,561 residents in Onslow County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 12,495 6,223 boys · 6,272 girls
- 7–12 13,871 6,979 boys · 6,892 girls
- 3–7 12,326 6,275 boys · 6,051 girls
- 0–3 9,869 5,034 boys · 4,835 girls
About 6,099 residents in Onslow County (2.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Onslow County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.4% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.0% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 30.7% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Onslow County is about 42% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of cancer in Onslow County is about 41% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of diabetes in Onslow County is about 40% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Onslow County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.7% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.1% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.1% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Onslow County is about 36% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Onslow County is about 17% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 292,585 cigarettes a day, 8.8 million a month, or 106.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.2 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Onslow County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 29 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 | Onslow County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.84 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Onslow County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Onslow County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Onslow County, NC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 207,702 residents against a local median of 54,882. Where Onslow County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is obesity, sitting 24% below the local median of 40.3% at 30.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 10.3% on obesity, so Onslow County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Onslow County, NC has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onslow County, NC | 207,702 | 77.0 yrs #4/6 | 9.5% #4/6 | 30.7% #1/6 |
| Jones County, NC | 9,300 | 77.1 yrs | 9.2% | 42.4% |
| Pender County, NC | 65,530 | 77.2 yrs | 8.8% | 32.4% |
| Craven County, NC | 102,613 | 76.6 yrs | 7.8% | 32.7% |
| Duplin County, NC | 49,292 | 79.5 yrs | 15.0% | 40.3% |
| Lenoir County, NC | 54,882 | 74.3 yrs | 10.1% | 42.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Onslow 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 Onslow County, North Carolina.
Is Onslow County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Onslow 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 Onslow County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Onslow County ranks 6th 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 life expectancy in Onslow County, North Carolina?
People in Onslow County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.0 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Onslow County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
9.5% of residents in Onslow County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, about the same as the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Onslow County, North Carolina?
30.7% of adults in Onslow County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 5.1 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
What health issue is more common in Onslow County, North Carolina than elsewhere?
Compared with North Carolina as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 20.1%, about 36% higher than the North Carolina rate of 14.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Onslow County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 292,585 cigarettes a day, 8.8 million a month, or 106.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.2 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Onslow County is 77.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 29 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 →