Health Profile of Union County, North Carolina
Union 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
Union County Around averageHealthier than 94% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Union County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.7% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.8% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Union County is 78.3 years, about 1.2 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 7.7%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.8% of residents, lower than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
78,821 residents in Union County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,904 932 men · 1,972 women
- 75–84 8,396 3,639 men · 4,757 women
- 65–74 18,776 8,767 men · 10,009 women
- 50–64 48,744 24,358 men · 24,386 women
Younger residents
63,044 residents in Union County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 21,839 11,600 boys · 10,240 girls
- 7–12 19,245 9,775 boys · 9,470 girls
- 3–7 13,083 6,466 boys · 6,617 girls
- 0–3 8,877 4,570 boys · 4,307 girls
About 7,810 residents in Union County (3.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Union County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.8% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.2% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.3% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Union County is about 30% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of diabetes in Union County is about 29% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of cancer in Union County is about 16% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Union County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.7% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.1% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Union County is about 21% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of binge drinking in Union County is about 20% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of smoking in Union County is about 16% lower than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 324,272 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 118.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.6 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 78.3 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 | Union County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.20 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Union County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Union County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 250,888 residents against a local median of 104,481. Union County, NC's obesity, at 32.3%, runs 17% below the 39.1% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 10.5% on obesity, so Union County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Union County, NC has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NC | 250,888 | 78.3 yrs #2/6 | 7.7% #1/6 | 32.3% #3/6 |
| Lancaster County, SC | 104,481 | 74.9 yrs | 7.9% | 39.8% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 1,154,528 | 78.5 yrs | 11.5% | 30.6% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 236,149 | 77.3 yrs | 7.9% | 32.0% |
| Stanly County, NC | 64,639 | 76.8 yrs | 9.0% | 39.1% |
| Anson County, NC | 22,289 | 75.7 yrs | 13.3% | 41.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Union 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 Union County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Union County, North Carolina?
Union 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 Union County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Union County ranks 7th 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 Union County, North Carolina?
People in Union County, North Carolina can expect to live 78.3 years on average, 1.2 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Union County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
7.7% of residents in Union County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 2.2 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Union County, North Carolina?
32.3% of adults in Union County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.5 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Union County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 324,272 cigarettes a day, 9.7 million a month, or 118.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.6 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 78.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 32 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 →