Health Profile of Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen 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.
-
A
Bergen County Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in New Jersey
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Bergen County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 82.3 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.1% | 7.5% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.7% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Bergen County is 82.3 years, about 3.0 years longer than the New Jersey average of 79.4 years. The uninsured rate is 6.1%, lower than the New Jersey average of 7.5%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 9.7% of residents, lower than the New Jersey average of 12.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
368,954 residents in Bergen County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 23,845 8,792 men · 15,054 women
- 75–84 51,622 22,283 men · 29,339 women
- 65–74 90,560 41,779 men · 48,781 women
- 50–64 202,927 99,599 men · 103,327 women
Younger residents
191,246 residents in Bergen County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 63,716 32,791 boys · 30,925 girls
- 7–12 56,826 28,990 boys · 27,835 girls
- 3–7 40,827 20,736 boys · 20,091 girls
- 0–3 29,878 15,288 boys · 14,590 girls
About 35,370 residents in Bergen County (3.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 82.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Bergen County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.7% | 9.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.4% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.2% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 23.4% | 28.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of obesity in Bergen County is about 19% lower than in New Jersey.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Bergen County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.4% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.2% | 17.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.7% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Bergen County is about 20% lower than in New Jersey.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 864,717 cigarettes a day, 25.9 million a month, or 315.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.5 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bergen County is 82.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.22 lifetimes a day, or 80 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 | Bergen County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.53 | 6.82 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Bergen County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Bergen County, NJ Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Bergen County, NJ is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 960,507 residents against a local median of 717,070. Where Bergen County, NJ breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 46% below the local median of 11.3% at 6.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 23.4% against a local median of 27.6%, 15% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Bergen County, NJ is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread 7.8% on uninsured, so Bergen County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Bergen County, NJ has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County, NJ | 960,507 | 82.3 yrs #1/6 | 6.1% #3/6 | 23.4% #2/6 |
| Rockland County, NY | 340,860 | 82.3 yrs | 4.1% | 27.6% |
| New York County, NY | 1,628,057 | 81.9 yrs | 4.2% | 18.9% |
| Hudson County, NJ | 717,070 | 79.8 yrs | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 520,457 | 79.3 yrs | 12.0% | 30.9% |
| Essex County, NJ | 861,155 | 78.1 yrs | 11.9% | 30.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Bergen County, New Jersey has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than New Jersey, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Is Bergen County, New Jersey a healthy place to live?
Bergen County, New Jersey has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Bergen County, New Jersey one of the healthiest counties in New Jersey?
Bergen County ranks 4th healthiest out of 21 counties in New Jersey by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Bergen County, New Jersey?
People in Bergen County, New Jersey can expect to live 82.3 years on average, 3.0 years longer than the New Jersey average of 79.4.
How many people lack health insurance in Bergen County, New Jersey?
6.1% of residents in Bergen County, New Jersey have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 1.4 points below the New Jersey rate of 7.5%.
What percentage of Bergen County, New Jersey residents are obese?
23.4% of adults in Bergen County, New Jersey are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 5.5 points below the New Jersey rate of 28.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Bergen County, New Jersey go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 864,717 cigarettes a day, 25.9 million a month, or 315.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.5 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bergen County is 82.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.22 lifetimes a day, or 80 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 →