Health Profile of Polk County, Oregon
Polk 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
Polk County Around averageHealthier than 77% of counties in Oregon
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 78.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.9% | 5.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.5% | 15.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 79.3 years, about 0.5 years longer than the Oregon average of 78.8 years. The uninsured rate is 4.9%, lower than the Oregon average of 5.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.5% of residents, lower than the Oregon average of 15.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
30,886 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,054 972 men · 1,082 women
- 75–84 4,690 2,058 men · 2,632 women
- 65–74 8,612 3,995 men · 4,617 women
- 50–64 15,530 7,671 men · 7,858 women
Younger residents
19,207 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,269 3,091 boys · 3,178 girls
- 7–12 5,751 3,021 boys · 2,729 girls
- 3–7 4,198 2,246 boys · 1,952 girls
- 0–3 2,989 1,542 boys · 1,447 girls
About 4,441 residents in Polk County (5.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | Oregon Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.3% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.6% | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.3% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.7% | 30.7% | 34.3% |
The rate of obesity in Polk County is about 17% higher than in Oregon. The rate of heart disease in Polk County is about 16% lower than in Oregon.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | Oregon Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.0% | 17.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.9% | 16.4% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.9% | 20.5% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Polk County are about the same as in Oregon.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 112,571 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 41.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.2 million minutes a day and 452.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 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 | Polk County | Oregon Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.89 | 6.11 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, OR Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, OR is typical in size for this group, 89,625 residents against a local median of 96,284, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Polk County, OR apart most is obesity: 35.7%, 18% above the local median of 30.4%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.9% on obesity, so Polk County, OR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, OR has the 6th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR | 89,625 | 79.3 yrs #4/6 | 4.9% #3/6 | 35.7% #6/6 |
| Yamhill County, OR | 108,598 | 79.6 yrs | 5.8% | 30.4% |
| Benton County, OR | 96,284 | 81.9 yrs | 4.8% | 26.8% |
| Lincoln County, OR | 50,961 | 77.9 yrs | 7.9% | 32.7% |
| Tillamook County, OR | 27,495 | 78.3 yrs | 4.8% | 32.7% |
| Washington County, OR | 603,920 | 81.1 yrs | 5.2% | 28.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Polk County, Oregon has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Oregon, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Polk County, Oregon.
Is Polk County, Oregon a healthy place to live?
Polk County, Oregon 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 Polk County, Oregon one of the healthiest counties in Oregon?
Polk County ranks 9th healthiest out of 36 counties in Oregon by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Polk County, Oregon?
People in Polk County, Oregon can expect to live 79.3 years on average, about the same as the Oregon average of 78.8.
How many people lack health insurance in Polk County, Oregon?
4.9% of residents in Polk County, Oregon have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 1.0 points below the Oregon rate of 5.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Polk County, Oregon?
35.7% of adults in Polk County, Oregon are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 5.1 points above the Oregon rate of 30.7%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, Oregon go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 112,571 cigarettes a day, 3.4 million a month, or 41.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.2 million minutes a day and 452.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 79.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 11 lifetimes a year.
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