Health Profile of Taos County, New Mexico
Taos 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
Taos County Around averageHealthier than 81% of counties in New Mexico
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Taos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.4 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.7% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.2% | 17.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Taos County is 81.4 years, about 2.8 years longer than the New Mexico average of 78.6 years. The uninsured rate is 7.7%, lower than the New Mexico average of 9.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.2% of residents, lower than the New Mexico average of 17.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
16,373 residents in Taos County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 638 226 men · 411 women
- 75–84 2,605 1,197 men · 1,408 women
- 65–74 5,118 2,343 men · 2,775 women
- 50–64 8,012 3,890 men · 4,122 women
Younger residents
5,840 residents in Taos County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,925 990 boys · 935 girls
- 7–12 1,778 946 boys · 832 girls
- 3–7 1,261 656 boys · 605 girls
- 0–3 877 441 boys · 436 girls
About 1,441 residents in Taos County (4.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Taos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.0% | 13.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 6.4% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.1% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 25.5% | 31.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of obesity in Taos County is about 19% lower than in New Mexico.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Taos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.3% | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.8% | 13.1% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.3% | 24.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Taos County is about 15% lower than in New Mexico.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 44,539 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 16.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 489,930 minutes a day and 178.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Taos County is 81.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.18 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 | Taos County | New Mexico Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.35 | 4.71 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Taos County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Taos County, NM Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Taos County, NM is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 34,542 residents against a local median of 7,530. Taos County, NM's obesity, at 25.5%, runs 17% below the 30.9% typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 12.5% on obesity, so Taos County, NM sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Taos County, NM has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taos County, NM | 34,542 | 81.4 yrs #4/6 | 7.7% #3/6 | 25.5% #2/6 |
| Costilla County, CO | 3,607 | 79.5 yrs | 8.5% | 31.5% |
| Conejos County, CO | 7,530 | 82.3 yrs | 13.6% | 30.9% |
| Mora County, NM | 4,149 | 77.7 yrs | 2.0% | 34.2% |
| Los Alamos County, NM | 19,409 | 83.2 yrs | 2.5% | 21.7% |
| Colfax County, NM | 12,320 | 81.5 yrs | 10.1% | 30.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Taos 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 Taos County, New Mexico.
How healthy is Taos County, New Mexico?
Taos 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 Taos County, New Mexico one of the healthiest counties in New Mexico?
Taos County ranks 7th 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 Taos County, New Mexico?
People in Taos County, New Mexico can expect to live 81.4 years on average, 2.8 years longer than the New Mexico average of 78.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Taos County, New Mexico?
7.7% of residents in Taos County, New Mexico have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 1.9 points below the New Mexico rate of 9.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Taos County, New Mexico?
25.5% of adults in Taos County, New Mexico are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 5.9 points below the New Mexico rate of 31.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Taos County, New Mexico go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 44,539 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 16.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 489,930 minutes a day and 178.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Taos County is 81.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.18 lifetimes a year.
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