Health Profile of Ward County, North Dakota
Ward 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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B
Ward County Around averageHealthier than 84% of counties in North Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Ward County | North Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.4% | 6.5% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.9% | 14.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Ward County is 79.0 years, about 0.4 years shorter than the North Dakota average of 79.4 years. The uninsured rate is about the same as in North Dakota, at 6.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.9% of residents, lower than the North Dakota average of 14.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
19,857 residents in Ward County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,417 523 men · 894 women
- 75–84 2,783 1,126 men · 1,657 women
- 65–74 4,955 2,390 men · 2,565 women
- 50–64 10,703 5,170 men · 5,533 women
Younger residents
15,475 residents in Ward County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 4,450 2,257 boys · 2,192 girls
- 7–12 4,455 2,341 boys · 2,113 girls
- 3–7 3,684 1,946 boys · 1,738 girls
- 0–3 2,887 1,487 boys · 1,399 girls
About 2,934 residents in Ward County (4.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Ward County | North Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.9% | 11.3% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.2% | 8.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.3% | 8.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.3% | 35.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Ward County is about 34% lower than in North Dakota. The rate of diabetes in Ward County is about 30% lower than in North Dakota. The rate of cancer in Ward County is about 24% lower than in North Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Ward County | North Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.4% | 18.7% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.2% | 18.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.2% | 26.6% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Ward County are about the same as in North Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 85,825 cigarettes a day, 2.6 million a month, or 31.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 944,074 minutes a day and 344.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ward County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.30 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 | Ward County | North Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.89 | 4.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Ward County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Ward County, ND Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Ward County, ND is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 68,973 residents against a local median of 6,378. The measure that sets Ward County, ND apart most is uninsured: 6.4%, 22% below the local median of 8.3%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 11.4% on uninsured, so Ward County, ND sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ward County, ND has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | 68,973 | 79.0 yrs #4/6 | 6.4% #3/6 | 35.3% #1/6 |
| Renville County, ND | 2,304 | 78.1 yrs | 5.4% | 35.9% |
| McLean County, ND | 9,823 | 79.4 yrs | 4.4% | 35.8% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 9,507 | 74.1 yrs | 15.9% | 36.4% |
| McHenry County, ND | 5,207 | 79.2 yrs | 8.3% | 36.8% |
| Bottineau County, ND | 6,378 | 81.3 yrs | 8.4% | 37.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Ward County, North Dakota has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than North Dakota, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Ward County, North Dakota.
Is Ward County, North Dakota a healthy place to live?
Ward County, North Dakota has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Ward County, North Dakota one of the healthiest counties in North Dakota?
Ward County ranks 9th healthiest out of 52 counties in North Dakota by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Ward County, North Dakota?
People in Ward County, North Dakota can expect to live 79.0 years on average, about the same as the North Dakota average of 79.4.
What percentage of Ward County, North Dakota residents are uninsured?
6.4% of residents in Ward County, North Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, about the same as the North Dakota rate of 6.5%.
What percentage of Ward County, North Dakota residents are obese?
35.3% of adults in Ward County, North Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the North Dakota rate of 35.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Ward County, North Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 85,825 cigarettes a day, 2.6 million a month, or 31.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 944,074 minutes a day and 344.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Ward County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.30 lifetimes a year.
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