Health Profile of Howard County, Nebraska
Howard 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.
-
B
Howard County Around averageHealthier than 90% of counties in Nebraska
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Howard County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 83.9 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.8% | 7.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.9% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Howard County is 83.9 years, about 4.4 years longer than the Nebraska average of 79.5 years. The uninsured rate is 6.8%, lower than the Nebraska average of 7.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.9% of residents, lower than the Nebraska average of 12.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,648 residents in Howard County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 213 70 men · 143 women
- 75–84 410 203 men · 207 women
- 65–74 731 351 men · 380 women
- 50–64 1,293 639 men · 654 women
Younger residents
1,536 residents in Howard County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 499 256 boys · 243 girls
- 7–12 438 231 boys · 207 girls
- 3–7 336 185 boys · 151 girls
- 0–3 262 142 boys · 120 girls
About 246 residents in Howard County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 83.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Howard County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.3% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.8% | 8.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.1% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.1% | 36.1% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Howard County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Howard County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.4% | 16.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 21.1% | 19.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.9% | 24.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Howard County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8,037 cigarettes a day, 241,124 a month, or 2.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 88,412 minutes a day and 32.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Howard County is 83.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.73 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 | Howard County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.14 | 5.27 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Howard County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Howard County, NE Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Howard County, NE is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 6,534 residents against a local median of 3,324. The measure that sets Howard County, NE apart most is uninsured: 6.8%, 28% above the local median of 5.3%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.8% on uninsured, so Howard County, NE sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Howard County, NE has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, NE | 6,534 | 83.9 yrs #1/6 | 6.8% #5/6 | 36.1% #3/6 |
| Greeley County, NE | 2,202 | 79.9 yrs | 4.9% | 34.2% |
| Hall County, NE | 62,536 | 79.5 yrs | 12.9% | 39.0% |
| Sherman County, NE | 2,967 | 77.3 yrs | 4.1% | 37.2% |
| Merrick County, NE | 7,724 | 78.8 yrs | 5.3% | 34.7% |
| Nance County, NE | 3,324 | 76.7 yrs | 6.6% | 36.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Howard 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 Howard County, Nebraska.
What is the health grade for Howard County, Nebraska?
Howard 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 Howard County, Nebraska one of the healthiest counties in Nebraska?
Howard County ranks 9th 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 Howard County, Nebraska?
People in Howard County, Nebraska can expect to live 83.9 years on average, 4.4 years longer than the Nebraska average of 79.5.
What percentage of Howard County, Nebraska residents are uninsured?
6.8% of residents in Howard County, Nebraska have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, about the same as the Nebraska rate of 7.2%.
What percentage of Howard County, Nebraska residents are obese?
36.1% of adults in Howard County, Nebraska are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Nebraska rate of 36.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Howard County, Nebraska go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8,037 cigarettes a day, 241,124 a month, or 2.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 88,412 minutes a day and 32.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Howard County is 83.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.73 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →