Health Profile of Wilson County, North Carolina
Wilson 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
Wilson County Below averageLess healthy than 89% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wilson County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.2% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 22.2% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wilson County is 77.3 years, about 0.2 years longer than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 12.2%, higher than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 22.2% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
29,997 residents in Wilson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,430 385 men · 1,045 women
- 75–84 4,274 1,820 men · 2,454 women
- 65–74 8,550 3,909 men · 4,641 women
- 50–64 15,743 7,487 men · 8,255 women
Younger residents
17,251 residents in Wilson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 5,591 2,686 boys · 2,905 girls
- 7–12 5,103 2,578 boys · 2,524 girls
- 3–7 3,766 1,971 boys · 1,794 girls
- 0–3 2,792 1,418 boys · 1,373 girls
About 4,581 residents in Wilson County (5.8% 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 | Wilson County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.3% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.2% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.8% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Wilson County is about 23% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of obesity in Wilson County is about 20% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wilson County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.0% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.1% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 31.1% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Wilson County is about 23% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of smoking in Wilson County is about 16% higher than in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 146,640 cigarettes a day, 4.4 million a month, or 53.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.6 million minutes a day and 588.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wilson County is 77.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 14 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 | Wilson County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.86 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wilson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wilson County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wilson County, NC is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 79,278 residents against a local median of 96,212. Nothing separates Wilson County, NC sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 10% above the local median at 42.8% against 38.9%. Wilson County, NC has the 6th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, NC | 79,278 | 77.3 yrs #1/6 | 12.2% #5/6 | 42.8% #6/6 |
| Nash County, NC | 96,212 | 76.4 yrs | 11.4% | 38.3% |
| Greene County, NC | 20,465 | 77.1 yrs | 16.6% | 38.9% |
| Wayne County, NC | 118,630 | 75.5 yrs | 12.1% | 39.9% |
| Edgecombe County, NC | 48,736 | 76.3 yrs | 11.0% | 40.6% |
| Johnston County, NC | 234,262 | 76.7 yrs | 10.4% | 36.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wilson 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 Wilson County, North Carolina.
Is Wilson County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Wilson 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 Wilson County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Wilson County ranks 89th 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 Wilson County, North Carolina?
People in Wilson County, North Carolina can expect to live 77.3 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Wilson County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
12.2% of residents in Wilson County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 2.3 points above the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
What percentage of Wilson County, North Carolina residents are obese?
42.8% of adults in Wilson County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 7.0 points above the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
What is the biggest health concern in Wilson County, North Carolina?
Compared with North Carolina as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 15.3%, about 23% higher than the North Carolina rate of 12.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wilson County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 146,640 cigarettes a day, 4.4 million a month, or 53.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.6 million minutes a day and 588.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wilson County is 77.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 14 lifetimes a year.
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