Health Profile of Elk County, Pennsylvania
Elk 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
Elk County Around averageHealthier than 74% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Elk County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 2.3% | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.2% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Elk County is 78.3 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 2.3%, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 5.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.2% of residents, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 15.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
14,015 residents in Elk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 864 354 men · 511 women
- 75–84 2,247 964 men · 1,283 women
- 65–74 3,742 1,844 men · 1,898 women
- 50–64 7,162 3,702 men · 3,460 women
Younger residents
5,561 residents in Elk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,874 1,003 boys · 870 girls
- 7–12 1,690 876 boys · 815 girls
- 3–7 1,169 580 boys · 588 girls
- 0–3 828 419 boys · 409 girls
About 2,217 residents in Elk County (7.3% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Elk County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.8% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.8% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 31.6% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Elk County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Elk County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.5% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.9% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 24.6% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Elk County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 50,596 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 556,552 minutes a day and 203.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Elk County is 78.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.93 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 | Elk County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.22 | 6.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Elk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Elk County, PA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Elk County, PA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 30,506 residents against a local median of 39,894. Where Elk County, PA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 61% below the local median of 5.9% at 2.3%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 6.4% on uninsured, so Elk County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Elk County, PA has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County, PA | 30,506 | 78.3 yrs #2/6 | 2.3% #2/6 | 31.6% #1/6 |
| McKean County, PA | 39,894 | 77.1 yrs | 4.7% | 36.4% |
| Cameron County, PA | 4,427 | 79.4 yrs | 2.1% | 35.2% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 43,864 | 77.7 yrs | 8.5% | 38.6% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 78,582 | 78.1 yrs | 5.9% | 34.4% |
| Forest County, PA | 6,715 | 76.5 yrs | 6.4% | 39.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Elk 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 Elk County, Pennsylvania.
Is Elk County, Pennsylvania a healthy place to live?
Elk 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 Elk County, Pennsylvania one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania?
Elk County ranks 18th 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 life expectancy in Elk County, Pennsylvania?
People in Elk County, Pennsylvania can expect to live 78.3 years on average, about the same as the Pennsylvania average of 78.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Elk County, Pennsylvania?
2.3% of residents in Elk County, Pennsylvania have no health insurance, about 1 in 43 people, 3.3 points below the Pennsylvania rate of 5.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Elk County, Pennsylvania?
31.6% of adults in Elk County, Pennsylvania are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.8 points below the Pennsylvania rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Elk County, Pennsylvania go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 50,596 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 556,552 minutes a day and 203.1 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Elk County is 78.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.93 lifetimes a year.
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