Health Profile of Orange County, North Carolina
Orange 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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A
Orange County Above averageHealthiest county in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Orange County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Orange County is 79.8 years, about 2.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 6.5%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 9.6% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
47,348 residents in Orange County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,977 626 men · 1,352 women
- 75–84 5,762 2,440 men · 3,321 women
- 65–74 12,285 5,749 men · 6,536 women
- 50–64 27,324 13,582 men · 13,742 women
Younger residents
27,273 residents in Orange County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 9,591 4,898 boys · 4,693 girls
- 7–12 8,191 4,166 boys · 4,025 girls
- 3–7 5,596 2,830 boys · 2,766 girls
- 0–3 3,894 1,952 boys · 1,942 girls
About 4,453 residents in Orange County (3.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Orange County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.3% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 26.5% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Orange County is about 43% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of diabetes in Orange County is about 41% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of obesity in Orange County is about 26% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Orange County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12.6% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.7% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 15.8% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Orange County is about 39% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Orange County is about 38% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 152,906 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 55.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 613.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orange County is 79.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 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 | Orange County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.79 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Orange County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Orange County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Orange County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 149,658 residents against a local median of 80,150. The measure that sets Orange County, NC apart most is uninsured: 6.5%, 33% below the local median of 9.8%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 26.5% against a local median of 36.3%, 27% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Orange County, NC is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 1.5% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Orange County, NC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Orange County, NC has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NC | 149,658 | 79.8 yrs #2/6 | 6.5% #1/6 | 26.5% #1/6 |
| Durham County, NC | 331,707 | 78.5 yrs | 10.8% | 36.3% |
| Alamance County, NC | 176,834 | 77.9 yrs | 10.2% | 36.1% |
| Person County, NC | 39,541 | 76.4 yrs | 9.4% | 37.9% |
| Chatham County, NC | 80,150 | 82.8 yrs | 9.4% | 32.1% |
| Caswell County, NC | 22,375 | 75.7 yrs | 9.8% | 37.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Orange County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of A, making it far better than North Carolina, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Orange County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Orange County, North Carolina?
Orange County, North Carolina has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Orange County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Yes. Orange County ranks 1st of 100 counties in North Carolina by the Map AI Health Index, making it the healthiest of them all.
What is the life expectancy in Orange County, North Carolina?
People in Orange County, North Carolina can expect to live 79.8 years on average, 2.7 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Orange County, North Carolina?
6.5% of residents in Orange County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 3.3 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What percentage of Orange County, North Carolina residents are obese?
26.5% of adults in Orange County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 9.3 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Orange County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 152,906 cigarettes a day, 4.6 million a month, or 55.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 613.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Orange County is 79.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 15 lifetimes a year.
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