Health Profile of Yancey County, North Carolina
Yancey 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
Yancey County Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.2% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.1% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Yancey County is 76.7 years, about 0.4 years shorter than the North Carolina average of 77.1 years. The uninsured rate is 7.2%, lower than the North Carolina average of 9.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.1% of residents, higher than the North Carolina average of 16.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
8,707 residents in Yancey County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 501 190 men · 312 women
- 75–84 1,453 642 men · 811 women
- 65–74 2,588 1,216 men · 1,372 women
- 50–64 4,164 2,031 men · 2,133 women
Younger residents
3,390 residents in Yancey County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,063 576 boys · 487 girls
- 7–12 1,001 510 boys · 491 girls
- 3–7 763 393 boys · 370 girls
- 0–3 562 297 boys · 265 girls
About 1,655 residents in Yancey County (8.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.5% | 12.4% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.1% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.7% | 35.8% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Yancey County is about 18% higher than in North Carolina. The rate of heart disease in Yancey County is about 18% higher than in North Carolina.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.3% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.9% | 14.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.4% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Yancey County are about the same as in North Carolina.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 32,886 cigarettes a day, 986,568 a month, or 12.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 361,742 minutes a day and 132.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Yancey County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.28 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 | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.99 | 5.99 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Yancey County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Yancey County, NC Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Yancey County, NC is typical in size for this group, 18,788 residents against a local median of 21,867, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Yancey County, NC's uninsured, at 7.2%, runs 23% below the 9.3% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.3% on uninsured, so Yancey County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Yancey County, NC has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yancey County, NC | 18,788 | 76.7 yrs #4/6 | 7.2% #1/6 | 34.7% #5/6 |
| Mitchell County, NC | 14,959 | 77.4 yrs | 9.3% | 31.3% |
| Unicoi County, TN | 17,742 | 75.1 yrs | 8.2% | 35.2% |
| McDowell County, NC | 44,809 | 76.6 yrs | 11.5% | 34.6% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 274,254 | 77.9 yrs | 10.9% | 30.2% |
| Madison County, NC | 21,867 | 78.7 yrs | 8.4% | 33.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Yancey County, North Carolina has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than North Carolina, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Yancey County, North Carolina.
Is Yancey County, North Carolina a healthy place to live?
Yancey 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 Yancey County, North Carolina one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina?
Yancey County ranks 65th 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 Yancey County, North Carolina?
People in Yancey County, North Carolina can expect to live 76.7 years on average, about the same as the North Carolina average of 77.1.
What percentage of Yancey County, North Carolina residents are uninsured?
7.2% of residents in Yancey County, North Carolina have no health insurance, about 1 in 14 people, 2.7 points below the North Carolina rate of 9.9%.
How common is obesity in Yancey County, North Carolina?
34.7% of adults in Yancey County, North Carolina are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.1 points below the North Carolina rate of 35.8%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Yancey County, North Carolina go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 32,886 cigarettes a day, 986,568 a month, or 12.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 361,742 minutes a day and 132.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Yancey County is 76.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.28 lifetimes a year.
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