Health Profile of Swain County, North Carolina
Swain 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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C
Swain County Below averageLess healthy than 94% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Swain County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 23.9% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 18.9% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Swain County is 75.5 years, about 1.6 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 23.9%, higher than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 19.0% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
5,418 residents in Swain County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 296 111 men · 186 women
- 75–84 853 388 men · 465 women
- 65–74 1,524 676 men · 847 women
- 50–64 2,744 1,330 men · 1,414 women
Younger residents
2,948 residents in Swain County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 958 493 boys · 464 girls
- 7–12 897 463 boys · 434 girls
- 3–7 643 334 boys · 309 girls
- 0–3 450 230 boys · 220 girls
About 1,099 residents in Swain County (7.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Swain County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.6% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.4% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.8% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.9% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Swain County is about 18% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Swain County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.8% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.6% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.8% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Swain County is about 20% higher than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 27,466 cigarettes a day, 823,983 a month, or 10.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 302,127 minutes a day and 110.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Swain County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.78 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 | Swain County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.47 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Swain County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Swain County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Swain County, NC is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 14,014 residents against a local median of 43,786. Where Swain County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 79% above the local median of 13.3% at 23.9%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 6.4% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Swain County, NC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Swain County, NC has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County, NC | 14,014 | 75.5 yrs #5/6 | 23.9% #6/6 | 35.9% #4/6 |
| Sevier County, TN | 99,652 | 75.8 yrs | 13.3% | 36.7% |
| Macon County, NC | 37,947 | 78.0 yrs | 13.7% | 32.0% |
| Graham County, NC | 8,067 | 75.2 yrs | 12.5% | 34.0% |
| Jackson County, NC | 43,786 | 78.3 yrs | 15.8% | 34.2% |
| Blount County, TN | 139,333 | 76.5 yrs | 9.4% | 36.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Swain County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with North Carolina, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Swain County, North Carolina.
Is Swain County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Swain County, North Carolina has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Swain County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Swain County ranks 94th 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.
How long do people live in Swain County, North Carolina?
People in Swain County, North Carolina can expect to live 75.5 years on average, 1.6 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Swain County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
23.9% of residents in Swain County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 14.0 points above the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Swain County, North Carolina?
35.9% of adults in Swain County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Swain County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 27,466 cigarettes a day, 823,983 a month, or 10.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 302,127 minutes a day and 110.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Swain County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.78 lifetimes a year.
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