Health Profile of Washington County, North Carolina
Washington 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.
-
C
Washington County Below averageLess healthy than 81% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Washington County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.2% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 20.3% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Washington County is 77.3 years, about 0.2 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 9.2%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 20.3% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
4,810 residents in Washington County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 341 111 men · 230 women
- 75–84 668 244 men · 424 women
- 65–74 1,471 701 men · 770 women
- 50–64 2,330 1,058 men · 1,273 women
Younger residents
2,210 residents in Washington County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 753 461 boys · 291 girls
- 7–12 693 402 boys · 291 girls
- 3–7 469 253 boys · 216 girls
- 0–3 296 157 boys · 138 girls
About 824 residents in Washington County (7.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Washington County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.7% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.8% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 41.0% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Washington County is about 27% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of heart disease in Washington County is about 18% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Washington County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.3% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.6% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 29.1% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Washington County is about 15% higher than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,537 cigarettes a day, 586,116 a month, or 7.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 214,909 minutes a day and 78.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 77.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.93 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 | Washington County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.08 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Washington County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Washington County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Washington County, NC is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 10,812 residents against a local median of 13,836. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Washington County, NC an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 9% above the local median at 41.0% against 37.8%. Washington County, NC has the 5th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NC | 10,812 | 77.3 yrs #3/6 | 9.2% #3/6 | 41.0% #5/6 |
| Chowan County, NC | 13,836 | 77.3 yrs | 8.2% | 37.8% |
| Perquimans County, NC | 13,244 | 77.0 yrs | 9.7% | 35.4% |
| Tyrrell County, NC | 3,423 | 80.2 yrs | 13.9% | 39.8% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 44,493 | 75.5 yrs | 9.0% | 37.1% |
| Bertie County, NC | 17,166 | 77.0 yrs | 9.9% | 43.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Washington 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 Washington County, North Carolina.
What is the health grade for Washington County, North Carolina?
Washington 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 Washington County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Washington County ranks 81st 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 Washington County, North Carolina?
People in Washington County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.3 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
How many people lack health insurance in Washington County, North Carolina?
9.2% of residents in Washington County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 0.6 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Washington County, North Carolina?
41.0% of adults in Washington County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 5.3 points above the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
What health issue is more common in Washington County, North Carolina than elsewhere?
Compared with North Carolina as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 15.7%, about 27% higher than the North Carolina rate of 12.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Washington County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,537 cigarettes a day, 586,116 a month, or 7.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 214,909 minutes a day and 78.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington County is 77.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.93 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 →