Health Profile of Lea County, New Mexico
Lea 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
Lea County Around averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Lea County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.9 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 14.9% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.9% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Lea County is 76.9 years, about 1.7 years shorter than the New Mexico average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 14.9%, higher than the New Mexico average of 9.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.9% of residents, lower than the New Mexico average of 17.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
19,325 residents in Lea County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,040 436 men · 604 women
- 75–84 2,243 950 men · 1,294 women
- 65–74 4,798 2,377 men · 2,420 women
- 50–64 11,244 5,830 men · 5,413 women
Younger residents
20,926 residents in Lea County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,096 3,275 boys · 2,821 girls
- 7–12 6,240 3,195 boys · 3,045 girls
- 3–7 4,973 2,548 boys · 2,425 girls
- 0–3 3,618 1,966 boys · 1,652 girls
About 2,798 residents in Lea County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Lea County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.4% | 13.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.9% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.1% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Lea County is about 21% lower than in New Mexico. The rate of cancer in Lea County is about 20% lower than in New Mexico. The rate of diabetes in Lea County is about 16% lower than in New Mexico.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Lea County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.8% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.1% | 13.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 26.1% | 24.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Lea County is about 16% higher than in New Mexico.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 102,947 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 413.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lea County is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 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 | Lea County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.44 | 4.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Lea County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Lea County, NM Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Lea County, NM is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 73,733 residents against a local median of 20,421. Lea County, NM's uninsured, at 14.9%, runs 34% below the 22.5% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 26.9% on uninsured, so Lea County, NM sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lea County, NM has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea County, NM | 73,733 | 76.9 yrs #3/5 | 14.9% #2/5 | 35.1% #1/5 |
| Yoakum County, TX | 7,571 | 78.5 yrs | 22.5% | 37.3% |
| Gaines County, TX | 22,232 | 78.4 yrs | 36.7% | 35.3% |
| Andrews County, TX | 18,610 | 76.0 yrs | 22.4% | 37.0% |
| Eddy County, NM | 61,104 | 75.8 yrs | 9.8% | 37.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Lea County, New Mexico has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than New Mexico, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Lea County, New Mexico.
How healthy is Lea County, New Mexico?
Lea County, New Mexico 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 Lea County, New Mexico one of the healthiest counties in New Mexico?
Lea County ranks 24th healthiest out of 32 counties in New Mexico by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Lea County, New Mexico?
People in Lea County, New Mexico can expect to live 76.9 years on average, 1.7 years shorter than the New Mexico average of 78.6.
How many people lack health insurance in Lea County, New Mexico?
14.9% of residents in Lea County, New Mexico have no health insurance, about 1 in 7 people, 5.3 points above the New Mexico rate of 9.6%.
How common is obesity in Lea County, New Mexico?
35.1% of adults in Lea County, New Mexico are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.6 points above the New Mexico rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Lea County, New Mexico go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 102,947 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 413.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Lea County is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 lifetimes a year.
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