Health Profile of Dawson County, Nebraska
Dawson 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
Dawson County Around averageLess healthy than 76% of counties in Nebraska
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dawson County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.9% | 7.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.5% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dawson County is 79.6 years, about 0.1 years longer than the Nebraska average of 79.5 years. The uninsured rate is 9.9%, higher than the Nebraska average of 7.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.5% of residents, higher than the Nebraska average of 12.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
8,009 residents in Dawson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 493 160 men · 334 women
- 75–84 1,259 597 men · 662 women
- 65–74 2,058 986 men · 1,073 women
- 50–64 4,198 2,243 men · 1,955 women
Younger residents
6,499 residents in Dawson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,911 1,018 boys · 893 girls
- 7–12 1,889 972 boys · 917 girls
- 3–7 1,525 793 boys · 732 girls
- 0–3 1,174 614 boys · 559 girls
About 1,094 residents in Dawson County (4.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dawson County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.9% | 8.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 38.7% | 36.1% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Dawson County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dawson County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.8% | 16.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.2% | 19.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.9% | 24.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Dawson County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 31,088 cigarettes a day, 932,629 a month, or 11.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 341,964 minutes a day and 124.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.98 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 | Dawson County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.24 | 5.27 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dawson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dawson County, NE Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dawson County, NE is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 24,202 residents against a local median of 4,568. The measure that sets Dawson County, NE apart most is uninsured: 9.9%, 53% above the local median of 6.4%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.7% on uninsured, so Dawson County, NE sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dawson County, NE has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, NE | 24,202 | 79.6 yrs #4/6 | 9.9% #6/6 | 38.7% #6/6 |
| Gosper County, NE | 2,040 | 78.4 yrs | 9.4% | 34.7% |
| Custer County, NE | 10,518 | 79.7 yrs | 7.1% | 34.5% |
| Phelps County, NE | 9,009 | 80.1 yrs | 6.2% | 36.3% |
| Frontier County, NE | 2,569 | 86.2 yrs | 6.4% | 38.1% |
| Furnas County, NE | 4,568 | 78.8 yrs | 5.7% | 37.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dawson County, Nebraska has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Nebraska, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Dawson County, Nebraska.
How healthy is Dawson County, Nebraska?
Dawson County, Nebraska 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 Dawson County, Nebraska one of the healthiest counties in Nebraska?
Dawson County ranks 64th healthiest out of 84 counties in Nebraska by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Dawson County, Nebraska?
People in Dawson County, Nebraska can expect to live 79.6 years on average, about the same as the Nebraska average of 79.5.
What is the uninsured rate in Dawson County, Nebraska?
9.9% of residents in Dawson County, Nebraska have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 2.7 points above the Nebraska rate of 7.2%.
How common is obesity in Dawson County, Nebraska?
38.7% of adults in Dawson County, Nebraska are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.6 points above the Nebraska rate of 36.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dawson County, Nebraska go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 31,088 cigarettes a day, 932,629 a month, or 11.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 341,964 minutes a day and 124.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.98 lifetimes a year.
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