Health Profile of Athens County, Ohio
Athens 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
Athens County Around averageHealthier than 74% of counties in Ohio
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.9 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.7% | 6.4% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.3% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Athens County is 76.9 years, about 0.2 years shorter than the Ohio average of 77.0 years. The uninsured rate is 5.7%, lower than the Ohio average of 6.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.3% of residents, higher than the Ohio average of 17.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
17,863 residents in Athens County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,001 294 men · 707 women
- 75–84 2,183 935 men · 1,249 women
- 65–74 4,823 2,284 men · 2,539 women
- 50–64 9,856 4,793 men · 5,063 women
Younger residents
8,745 residents in Athens County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,943 1,461 boys · 1,482 girls
- 7–12 2,530 1,301 boys · 1,229 girls
- 3–7 1,851 962 boys · 889 girls
- 0–3 1,421 755 boys · 666 girls
About 2,637 residents in Athens County (4.3% 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 | Athens County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.7% | 12.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.9% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.3% | 38.4% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Athens County is about 26% lower than in Ohio. The rate of heart disease in Athens County is about 19% lower than in Ohio. The rate of diabetes in Athens County is about 19% lower than in Ohio.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Athens County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.8% | 24.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.2% | 16.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.5% | 28.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Athens County are about the same as in Ohio.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 130,551 cigarettes a day, 3.9 million a month, or 47.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.4 million minutes a day and 524.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Athens County is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 13 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 | Athens County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.85 | 7.10 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Athens County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Athens County, OH Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Athens County, OH is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 61,737 residents against a local median of 21,896. The measure that sets Athens County, OH apart most is uninsured: 5.7%, 23% below the local median of 7.4%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 1.7% on uninsured, so Athens County, OH sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Athens County, OH has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens County, OH | 61,737 | 76.9 yrs #3/6 | 5.7% #1/6 | 36.3% #1/6 |
| Meigs County, OH | 21,896 | 76.8 yrs | 6.6% | 41.0% |
| Morgan County, OH | 13,651 | 76.6 yrs | 6.4% | 40.7% |
| Perry County, OH | 35,535 | 77.2 yrs | 8.1% | 37.0% |
| Vinton County, OH | 12,630 | 75.2 yrs | 7.6% | 39.6% |
| Hocking County, OH | 27,799 | 77.2 yrs | 7.4% | 38.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Athens County, Ohio has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Ohio, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Athens County, Ohio.
Is Athens County, Ohio a healthy place to live?
Athens County, Ohio 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 Athens County, Ohio one of the healthiest counties in Ohio?
Athens County ranks 24th healthiest out of 88 counties in Ohio by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Athens County, Ohio?
People in Athens County, Ohio can expect to live 76.9 years on average, about the same as the Ohio average of 77.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Athens County, Ohio?
5.7% of residents in Athens County, Ohio have no health insurance, about 1 in 17 people, 0.7 points below the Ohio rate of 6.4%.
How common is obesity in Athens County, Ohio?
36.3% of adults in Athens County, Ohio are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.1 points below the Ohio rate of 38.4%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Athens County, Ohio go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 130,551 cigarettes a day, 3.9 million a month, or 47.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.4 million minutes a day and 524.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Athens County is 76.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 13 lifetimes a year.
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