Health Profile of Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk 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
Suffolk County Above averageHealthier than 90% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.3% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.5% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Suffolk County is 80.7 years, about 0.4 years longer than the New York average of 80.3 years. The uninsured rate is 4.3%, lower than the New York average of 5.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.5% of residents, lower than the New York average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
563,237 residents in Suffolk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 33,251 11,106 men · 22,145 women
- 75–84 73,613 31,946 men · 41,667 women
- 65–74 138,647 64,487 men · 74,159 women
- 50–64 317,726 157,240 men · 160,486 women
Younger residents
283,531 residents in Suffolk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 91,463 46,910 boys · 44,553 girls
- 7–12 83,564 42,795 boys · 40,769 girls
- 3–7 62,545 31,908 boys · 30,637 girls
- 0–3 45,959 23,384 boys · 22,575 girls
About 57,744 residents in Suffolk County (4.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Suffolk County | New York Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.1% | 9.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.5% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.1% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 27.3% | 30.2% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Suffolk County is about 20% lower than in New York. The rate of diabetes in Suffolk County is about 16% lower than in New York.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Suffolk County | New York Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.8% | 17.4% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.0% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.6% | 24.5% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Suffolk County is about 21% lower than in New York.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.6 million cigarettes a day, 47.6 million a month, or 578.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 17.4 million minutes a day and 6.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Suffolk County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.41 lifetimes a day, or 150 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 | Suffolk County | New York Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.10 | 6.02 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Suffolk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Suffolk County, NY Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Suffolk County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,451,500 residents against a local median of 308,890. Suffolk County, NY sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 13% below the local median at 4.3% against 5.0%. Suffolk County, NY has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, NY | 1,451,500 | 80.7 yrs #2/6 | 4.3% #2/6 | 27.3% #2/6 |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 516,000 | 79.6 yrs | 5.0% | 33.2% |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 163,295 | 80.8 yrs | 3.4% | 29.6% |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 308,890 | 79.6 yrs | 8.5% | 26.4% |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 439,566 | 79.0 yrs | 5.0% | 32.8% |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 252,265 | 79.3 yrs | 5.0% | 31.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Suffolk County, New York has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than New York, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Suffolk County, New York.
How healthy is Suffolk County, New York?
Suffolk County, New York 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 much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Suffolk County, New York one of the healthiest counties in New York?
Suffolk County ranks 7th healthiest out of 62 counties in New York by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Suffolk County, New York?
People in Suffolk County, New York can expect to live 80.7 years on average, about the same as the New York average of 80.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Suffolk County, New York?
4.3% of residents in Suffolk County, New York have no health insurance, about 1 in 23 people, 0.7 points below the New York rate of 5.0%.
How common is obesity in Suffolk County, New York?
27.3% of adults in Suffolk County, New York are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 2.9 points below the New York rate of 30.2%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Suffolk County, New York go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.6 million cigarettes a day, 47.6 million a month, or 578.8 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 17.4 million minutes a day and 6.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Suffolk County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.41 lifetimes a day, or 150 lifetimes a year.
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