Health Profile of Union County, New Jersey
Union 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
Union County Around averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in New Jersey
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 13.0% | 7.5% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.4% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Union County is 80.2 years, about 0.8 years longer than the New Jersey average of 79.4 years. The uninsured rate is 13.0%, higher than the New Jersey average of 7.5%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.4% of residents, higher than the New Jersey average of 12.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
194,877 residents in Union County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,702 3,542 men · 7,160 women
- 75–84 24,402 10,002 men · 14,400 women
- 65–74 45,774 20,832 men · 24,942 women
- 50–64 113,999 55,820 men · 58,179 women
Younger residents
130,837 residents in Union County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 40,854 20,820 boys · 20,033 girls
- 7–12 38,753 19,768 boys · 18,986 girls
- 3–7 29,423 15,161 boys · 14,262 girls
- 0–3 21,807 11,335 boys · 10,472 girls
About 20,737 residents in Union County (3.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Union County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 9.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.4% | 5.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 30.3% | 28.9% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Union County are about the same as in New Jersey.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Union County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.5% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.7% | 17.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.0% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Union County are about the same as in New Jersey.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 596,761 cigarettes a day, 17.9 million a month, or 217.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.6 million minutes a day and 2.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.16 lifetimes a day, or 57 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 | Union County | New Jersey Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.14 | 6.82 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Union County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Union County, NJ Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, NJ is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 578,268 residents against a local median of 717,070. Union County, NJ's uninsured, at 13.0%, runs 79% above the 7.2% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 7.8% on uninsured, so Union County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Union County, NJ has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | 578,268 | 80.2 yrs #3/6 | 13.0% #6/6 | 30.3% #5/6 |
| Essex County, NJ | 861,155 | 78.1 yrs | 11.9% | 30.8% |
| Richmond County, NY | 494,794 | 79.6 yrs | 4.1% | 30.0% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 870,701 | 80.7 yrs | 7.2% | 23.7% |
| Hudson County, NJ | 717,070 | 79.8 yrs | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Morris County, NJ | 514,287 | 82.0 yrs | 4.7% | 20.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Union County, New Jersey has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than New Jersey, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Union County, New Jersey.
How healthy is Union County, New Jersey?
Union County, New Jersey 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 Union County, New Jersey one of the healthiest counties in New Jersey?
Union County ranks 15th 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 Union County, New Jersey?
People in Union County, New Jersey can expect to live 80.2 years on average, 0.8 years longer than the New Jersey average of 79.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Union County, New Jersey?
13.0% of residents in Union County, New Jersey have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 5.5 points above the New Jersey rate of 7.5%.
How common is obesity in Union County, New Jersey?
30.3% of adults in Union County, New Jersey are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.4 points above the New Jersey rate of 28.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Union County, New Jersey go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 596,761 cigarettes a day, 17.9 million a month, or 217.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.6 million minutes a day and 2.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.16 lifetimes a day, or 57 lifetimes a year.
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