Health Profile of Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford 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
Bedford County Around averageLess healthy than 76% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Bedford County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.6 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 7.8% | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.8% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Bedford County is 78.6 years, about 0.2 years longer than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 7.8%, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 5.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.8% of residents, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 15.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
21,122 residents in Bedford County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,275 492 men · 783 women
- 75–84 3,441 1,556 men · 1,885 women
- 65–74 5,817 2,799 men · 3,018 women
- 50–64 10,588 5,449 men · 5,139 women
Younger residents
8,778 residents in Bedford County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,655 1,364 boys · 1,290 girls
- 7–12 2,675 1,439 boys · 1,236 girls
- 3–7 2,042 1,088 boys · 954 girls
- 0–3 1,406 713 boys · 693 girls
About 3,198 residents in Bedford County (6.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Bedford County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.7% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.7% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.3% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.0% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Bedford County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Bedford County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.8% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.5% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.9% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Bedford County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 83,518 cigarettes a day, 2.5 million a month, or 30.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 918,703 minutes a day and 335.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bedford County is 78.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.12 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 | Bedford County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.35 | 6.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Bedford County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Bedford County, PA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Bedford County, PA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 47,513 residents against a local median of 67,200. Bedford County, PA's uninsured, at 7.8%, runs 53% above the 5.1% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.8% on uninsured, so Bedford County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Bedford County, PA has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford County, PA | 47,513 | 78.6 yrs #1/6 | 7.8% #6/6 | 35.0% #4/6 |
| Fulton County, PA | 14,531 | 77.0 yrs | 5.1% | 36.2% |
| Allegany County, MD | 67,200 | 76.5 yrs | 3.8% | 34.0% |
| Blair County, PA | 121,255 | 77.5 yrs | 5.8% | 31.2% |
| Morgan County, WV | 17,426 | 76.4 yrs | 6.1% | 39.2% |
| Cambria County, PA | 131,341 | 77.3 yrs | 3.3% | 33.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Bedford County, Pennsylvania has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Pennsylvania, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
Is Bedford County, Pennsylvania a healthy place to live?
Bedford County, Pennsylvania 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 Bedford County, Pennsylvania one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania?
Bedford County ranks 51st healthiest out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
People in Bedford County, Pennsylvania can expect to live 78.6 years on average, about the same as the Pennsylvania average of 78.4.
What percentage of Bedford County, Pennsylvania residents are uninsured?
7.8% of residents in Bedford County, Pennsylvania have no health insurance, about 1 in 13 people, 2.1 points above the Pennsylvania rate of 5.6%.
How common is obesity in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
35.0% of adults in Bedford County, Pennsylvania are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.5 points above the Pennsylvania rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Bedford County, Pennsylvania go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 83,518 cigarettes a day, 2.5 million a month, or 30.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 918,703 minutes a day and 335.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Bedford County is 78.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 8.12 lifetimes a year.
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