Health Profile of Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Columbia 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
Columbia County Around averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 4.0% | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.8% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Columbia County is about the same as in Pennsylvania, at 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 4.0%, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 5.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.8% of residents, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 15.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
25,239 residents in Columbia County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,842 626 men · 1,216 women
- 75–84 3,592 1,554 men · 2,038 women
- 65–74 7,143 3,323 men · 3,820 women
- 50–64 12,663 6,167 men · 6,496 women
Younger residents
10,918 residents in Columbia County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 3,670 1,804 boys · 1,866 girls
- 7–12 3,283 1,674 boys · 1,609 girls
- 3–7 2,318 1,210 boys · 1,107 girls
- 0–3 1,648 834 boys · 813 girls
About 3,945 residents in Columbia County (6.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.2% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.1% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.1% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.0% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Columbia County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.2% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.7% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.9% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Columbia County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 102,758 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 412.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 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 | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.90 | 6.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Columbia County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Columbia County, PA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Columbia County, PA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 65,057 residents against a local median of 90,556. The measure that sets Columbia County, PA apart most is uninsured: 4.0%, 22% below the local median of 5.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.2% on uninsured, so Columbia County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Columbia County, PA has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, PA | 65,057 | 78.4 yrs #2/6 | 4.0% #2/6 | 34.0% #2/6 |
| Montour County, PA | 18,103 | 79.4 yrs | 3.7% | 32.5% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 90,556 | 77.0 yrs | 5.1% | 36.6% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 143,391 | 76.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.7% |
| Sullivan County, PA | 5,888 | 77.0 yrs | 4.1% | 34.6% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 326,964 | 76.6 yrs | 6.6% | 35.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Columbia 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 Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
Is Columbia County, Pennsylvania a healthy place to live?
Columbia 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 Columbia County, Pennsylvania one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania?
Columbia County ranks 15th 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.
How long do people live in Columbia County, Pennsylvania?
People in Columbia County, Pennsylvania can expect to live 78.4 years on average, about the same as the Pennsylvania average of 78.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Columbia County, Pennsylvania?
4.0% of residents in Columbia County, Pennsylvania have no health insurance, about 1 in 25 people, 1.7 points below the Pennsylvania rate of 5.6%.
How common is obesity in Columbia County, Pennsylvania?
34.0% of adults in Columbia County, Pennsylvania are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.5 points below the Pennsylvania rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Columbia County, Pennsylvania go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 102,758 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 412.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 lifetimes a year.
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