Health Profile of Otero County, New Mexico
Otero 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
Otero County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Otero County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.1% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.9% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Otero County is 77.4 years, about 1.2 years shorter than the New Mexico average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 10.1%, higher than the New Mexico average of 9.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.9% of residents, lower than the New Mexico average of 17.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
23,300 residents in Otero County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,277 549 men · 728 women
- 75–84 3,475 1,627 men · 1,848 women
- 65–74 6,679 3,226 men · 3,454 women
- 50–64 11,869 5,779 men · 6,090 women
Younger residents
14,830 residents in Otero County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 4,353 2,058 boys · 2,295 girls
- 7–12 4,447 2,336 boys · 2,111 girls
- 3–7 3,518 1,900 boys · 1,618 girls
- 0–3 2,512 1,295 boys · 1,216 girls
About 3,727 residents in Otero County (5.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Otero County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.9% | 13.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 6.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.2% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Otero County are about the same as in New Mexico.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Otero County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.8% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.6% | 13.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.0% | 24.9% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Otero County are about the same as in New Mexico.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 100,804 cigarettes a day, 3.0 million a month, or 36.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 404.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Otero County is 77.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 9.94 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 | Otero County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.85 | 4.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Otero County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Otero County, NM Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Otero County, NM is typical in size for this group, 68,816 residents against a local median of 61,104, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Otero County, NM an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 14% below the local median at 32.2% against 37.5%. Otero County, NM has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otero County, NM | 68,816 | 77.4 yrs #4/6 | 10.1% #3/6 | 32.2% #3/6 |
| El Paso County, TX | 870,506 | 78.5 yrs | 21.6% | 37.8% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 224,261 | 79.5 yrs | 11.3% | 30.9% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 20,223 | 81.7 yrs | 9.6% | 28.9% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 3,403 | 77.2 yrs | 31.4% | 43.1% |
| Eddy County, NM | 61,104 | 75.8 yrs | 9.8% | 37.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Otero 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 Otero County, New Mexico.
Is Otero County, New Mexico a healthy place to live?
Otero 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 Otero County, New Mexico one of the healthiest counties in New Mexico?
Otero County ranks 13th 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 Otero County, New Mexico?
People in Otero County, New Mexico can expect to live 77.4 years on average, 1.2 years shorter than the New Mexico average of 78.6.
What percentage of Otero County, New Mexico residents are uninsured?
10.1% of residents in Otero County, New Mexico have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, about the same as the New Mexico rate of 9.6%.
What percentage of Otero County, New Mexico residents are obese?
32.2% of adults in Otero County, New Mexico are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.8 points above the New Mexico rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Otero County, New Mexico go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 100,804 cigarettes a day, 3.0 million a month, or 36.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 404.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Otero County is 77.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 9.94 lifetimes a year.
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