Health Profile of Wayne County, North Carolina
Wayne 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
Wayne County Below averageLess healthy than 75% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wayne County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.1% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 18.2% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wayne County is 75.5 years, about 1.6 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 12.1%, higher than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 18.2% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
41,553 residents in Wayne County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,805 598 men · 1,207 women
- 75–84 6,077 2,301 men · 3,776 women
- 65–74 11,236 4,998 men · 6,238 women
- 50–64 22,435 10,785 men · 11,651 women
Younger residents
26,592 residents in Wayne County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 8,107 4,069 boys · 4,038 girls
- 7–12 7,798 3,935 boys · 3,863 girls
- 3–7 6,072 3,093 boys · 2,979 girls
- 0–3 4,616 2,349 boys · 2,267 girls
About 7,501 residents in Wayne County (6.3% 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 | Wayne County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.7% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.1% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.2% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.9% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Wayne County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wayne County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.9% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.9% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Wayne County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 198,078 cigarettes a day, 5.9 million a month, or 72.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 795.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wayne County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 20 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 | Wayne County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.70 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wayne County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wayne County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wayne County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 118,630 residents against a local median of 54,882. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Wayne County, NC an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is life expectancy, 2% below the local median at 75.5 yrs against 77.1 yrs. Wayne County, NC has the 5th highest life expectancy of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, NC | 118,630 | 75.5 yrs #5/6 | 12.1% #3/6 | 39.9% #3/6 |
| Greene County, NC | 20,465 | 77.1 yrs | 16.6% | 38.9% |
| Wilson County, NC | 79,278 | 77.3 yrs | 12.2% | 42.8% |
| Lenoir County, NC | 54,882 | 74.3 yrs | 10.1% | 42.7% |
| Johnston County, NC | 234,262 | 76.7 yrs | 10.4% | 36.7% |
| Duplin County, NC | 49,292 | 79.5 yrs | 15.0% | 40.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wayne 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 Wayne County, North Carolina.
How healthy is Wayne County, North Carolina?
Wayne 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 Wayne County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Wayne County ranks 75th 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 Wayne County, North Carolina?
People in Wayne 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 is the uninsured rate in Wayne County, North Carolina?
12.1% of residents in Wayne County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 2.2 points above the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Wayne County, North Carolina?
39.9% of adults in Wayne County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.1 points above the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wayne County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 198,078 cigarettes a day, 5.9 million a month, or 72.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.2 million minutes a day and 795.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wayne County is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 20 lifetimes a year.
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