Health Profile of Wake County, North Carolina
Wake 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
Wake County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wake County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wake County is 80.2 years, about 3.1 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 7.5%, 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
334,427 residents in Wake County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 13,561 4,464 men · 9,097 women
- 75–84 35,171 14,643 men · 20,529 women
- 65–74 75,833 34,525 men · 41,308 women
- 50–64 209,862 101,208 men · 108,654 women
Younger residents
269,072 residents in Wake County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 83,367 42,374 boys · 40,993 girls
- 7–12 81,053 41,780 boys · 39,273 girls
- 3–7 60,801 31,364 boys · 29,437 girls
- 0–3 43,851 22,420 boys · 21,431 girls
About 26,820 residents in Wake County (2.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Wake County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.9% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.2% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.8% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Wake County is about 44% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of diabetes in Wake County is about 37% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of cancer in Wake County is about 25% lower than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wake County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12.7% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 15.9% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Wake County is about 39% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Wake County is about 37% lower than in North Carolina. The rate of binge drinking in Wake County is about 17% higher than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.2 million cigarettes a day, 34.5 million a month, or 419.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 12.7 million minutes a day and 4.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wake County is 80.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.30 lifetimes a day, or 109 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 | Wake County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.72 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wake County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wake County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wake County, NC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,178,613 residents against a local median of 139,132. Wake County, NC's uninsured, at 7.5%, runs 22% below the 9.7% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 28.8% against a local median of 36.7%, 22% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Wake County, NC is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 1.6% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Wake County, NC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Wake County, NC has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County, NC | 1,178,613 | 80.2 yrs #1/6 | 7.5% #1/6 | 28.8% #1/6 |
| Durham County, NC | 331,707 | 78.5 yrs | 10.8% | 36.3% |
| Johnston County, NC | 234,262 | 76.7 yrs | 10.4% | 36.7% |
| Franklin County, NC | 74,421 | 77.1 yrs | 9.2% | 36.9% |
| Harnett County, NC | 139,132 | 76.7 yrs | 9.7% | 41.7% |
| Granville County, NC | 60,874 | 77.8 yrs | 9.3% | 35.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wake County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than North Carolina, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Wake County, North Carolina.
Is Wake County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Wake 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 Wake County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Wake County ranks 2nd 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 Wake County, North Carolina?
People in Wake County, North Carolina can expect to live 80.2 years on average, 3.1 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Wake County, North Carolina?
7.5% of residents in Wake County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 2.3 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Wake County, North Carolina?
28.8% of adults in Wake County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 7.0 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wake County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.2 million cigarettes a day, 34.5 million a month, or 419.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 12.7 million minutes a day and 4.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wake County is 80.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.30 lifetimes a day, or 109 lifetimes a year.
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