Health Profile of Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Los Alamos 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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A+
Los Alamos County Top gradeHealthiest county in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 83.2 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.5% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 7.6% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Los Alamos County is 83.2 years, about 4.5 years longer than the New Mexico average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 2.5%, lower than the New Mexico average of 9.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 7.6% of residents, lower than the New Mexico average of 17.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
7,516 residents in Los Alamos County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 432 201 men · 230 women
- 75–84 1,003 451 men · 552 women
- 65–74 1,766 846 men · 920 women
- 50–64 4,315 2,202 men · 2,113 women
Younger residents
4,173 residents in Los Alamos County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,379 639 boys · 740 girls
- 7–12 1,323 684 boys · 639 girls
- 3–7 897 478 boys · 420 girls
- 0–3 574 284 boys · 289 girls
About 597 residents in Los Alamos County (3.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 83.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 7.6% | 13.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.4% | 6.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.0% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 21.7% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Los Alamos County is about 43% lower than in New Mexico. The rate of heart disease in Los Alamos County is about 33% lower than in New Mexico. The rate of obesity in Los Alamos County is about 31% lower than in New Mexico.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 9.3% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.6% | 13.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 12.3% | 24.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Los Alamos County is about 51% lower than in New Mexico. The rate of smoking in Los Alamos County is about 48% lower than in New Mexico.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 14,117 cigarettes a day, 423,522 a month, or 5.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 155,292 minutes a day and 56.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Los Alamos County is 83.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.30 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 | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.20 | 4.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Los Alamos County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Los Alamos County, NM Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Los Alamos County, NM is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 19,409 residents against a local median of 153,584. The measure that sets Los Alamos County, NM apart most is uninsured: 2.5%, 71% below the local median of 8.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 21.7% against a local median of 26.9%, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Los Alamos County, NM is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 2.4% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Los Alamos County, NM, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Los Alamos County, NM has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamos County, NM | 19,409 | 83.2 yrs #1/6 | 2.5% #1/6 | 21.7% #2/6 |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 155,407 | 80.5 yrs | 8.9% | 21.3% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 153,584 | 79.3 yrs | 6.5% | 28.8% |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 40,067 | 79.3 yrs | 8.7% | 32.9% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 672,163 | 78.6 yrs | 8.7% | 26.9% |
| Taos County, NM | 34,542 | 81.4 yrs | 7.7% | 25.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Los Alamos County, New Mexico has an overall health index grade of A+, making it far better than New Mexico, and far better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Los Alamos County, New Mexico.
What is the health grade for Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
Los Alamos County, New Mexico 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 among the healthiest and longest-living in the country.
Is Los Alamos County, New Mexico one of the healthiest counties in New Mexico?
Yes. Los Alamos County ranks 1st of 32 counties in New Mexico by the Map AI Health Index, making it the healthiest of them all.
How long do people live in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
People in Los Alamos County, New Mexico can expect to live 83.2 years on average, 4.5 years longer than the New Mexico average of 78.6.
What percentage of Los Alamos County, New Mexico residents are uninsured?
2.5% of residents in Los Alamos County, New Mexico have no health insurance, about 1 in 40 people, 7.1 points below the New Mexico rate of 9.6%.
How common is obesity in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
21.7% of adults in Los Alamos County, New Mexico are classified as obese, about 1 in 5, 9.8 points below the New Mexico rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Los Alamos County, New Mexico go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 14,117 cigarettes a day, 423,522 a month, or 5.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 155,292 minutes a day and 56.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Los Alamos County is 83.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.30 lifetimes a year.
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