Health Profile of Polk County, Nebraska
Polk 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
Polk County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.5% | 7.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.3% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 79.9 years, about 0.3 years longer than the Nebraska average of 79.5 years. The uninsured rate is 5.5%, lower than the Nebraska average of 7.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.3% of residents, lower than the Nebraska average of 12.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,268 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 202 83 men · 119 women
- 75–84 334 145 men · 189 women
- 65–74 613 311 men · 301 women
- 50–64 1,119 575 men · 544 women
Younger residents
1,121 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 398 199 boys · 199 girls
- 7–12 328 153 boys · 175 girls
- 3–7 228 116 boys · 112 girls
- 0–3 168 94 boys · 74 girls
About 371 residents in Polk County (7.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.8% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.4% | 8.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.6% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.0% | 36.1% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Polk County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.0% | 16.6% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.1% | 19.7% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.9% | 24.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Polk County are about the same as in Nebraska.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 6,496 cigarettes a day, 194,880 a month, or 2.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 71,456 minutes a day and 26.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.62 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 | Polk County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.60 | 5.27 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, NE Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, NE is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 5,225 residents against a local median of 8,424. Nothing separates Polk County, NE 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, 6% below the local median at 34.0% against 36.1%. Polk County, NE has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, NE | 5,225 | 79.9 yrs #2/6 | 5.5% #4/6 | 34.0% #1/6 |
| York County, NE | 14,286 | 79.5 yrs | 5.4% | 37.5% |
| Platte County, NE | 34,716 | 81.2 yrs | 7.3% | 36.1% |
| Butler County, NE | 8,424 | 79.5 yrs | 5.1% | 35.1% |
| 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, Polk 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 Polk County, Nebraska.
How healthy is Polk County, Nebraska?
Polk 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 Polk County, Nebraska one of the healthiest counties in Nebraska?
Polk County ranks 48th 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.
How long do people live in Polk County, Nebraska?
People in Polk County, Nebraska can expect to live 79.9 years on average, about the same as the Nebraska average of 79.5.
What is the uninsured rate in Polk County, Nebraska?
5.5% of residents in Polk County, Nebraska have no health insurance, about 1 in 18 people, 1.7 points below the Nebraska rate of 7.2%.
What percentage of Polk County, Nebraska residents are obese?
34.0% of adults in Polk County, Nebraska are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.2 points below the Nebraska rate of 36.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, Nebraska go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 6,496 cigarettes a day, 194,880 a month, or 2.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 71,456 minutes a day and 26.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.62 lifetimes a year.
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