Health Profile of Polk County, North Carolina
Polk 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
Polk County Around averageHealthier than 80% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.9% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 79.5 years, about 2.4 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is about the same as in North Carolina, at 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.6% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
10,635 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 812 314 men · 498 women
- 75–84 2,079 922 men · 1,156 women
- 65–74 3,044 1,412 men · 1,632 women
- 50–64 4,701 2,150 men · 2,551 women
Younger residents
3,056 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,071 529 boys · 542 girls
- 7–12 913 462 boys · 452 girls
- 3–7 623 339 boys · 284 girls
- 0–3 449 252 boys · 197 girls
About 1,762 residents in Polk County (8.9% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.2% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 9.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.8% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Polk County is about 37% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of heart disease in Polk County is about 19% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.1% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.4% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Polk County is about 22% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 27,191 cigarettes a day, 815,731 a month, or 9.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 299,101 minutes a day and 109.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.61 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 | Polk County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.15 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, NC is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 19,891 residents against a local median of 118,522. Polk County, NC sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 15% below the local median at 9.9% against 11.5%. Polk County, NC has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, NC | 19,891 | 79.5 yrs #1/6 | 9.9% #1/6 | 32.8% #1/6 |
| Rutherford County, NC | 64,922 | 74.9 yrs | 12.0% | 33.5% |
| Henderson County, NC | 118,522 | 79.4 yrs | 12.4% | 34.5% |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 347,752 | 76.2 yrs | 10.7% | 37.2% |
| McDowell County, NC | 44,809 | 76.6 yrs | 11.5% | 34.6% |
| Greenville County, SC | 547,972 | 77.5 yrs | 10.0% | 33.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Polk 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 Polk County, North Carolina.
Is Polk County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Polk 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 Polk County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Polk County ranks 21st 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 Polk County, North Carolina?
People in Polk County, North Carolina can expect to live 79.5 years on average, 2.4 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Polk County, North Carolina?
9.9% of residents in Polk 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 Polk County, North Carolina residents are obese?
32.8% of adults in Polk County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.0 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 27,191 cigarettes a day, 815,731 a month, or 9.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 299,101 minutes a day and 109.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.61 lifetimes a year.
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