Health Profile of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Luzerne 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
Luzerne County Around averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.6% | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.2% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Luzerne County is 76.6 years, about 1.8 years shorter than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 6.6%, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 5.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.2% of residents, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 15.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
130,034 residents in Luzerne County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 8,562 2,380 men · 6,183 women
- 75–84 20,203 8,421 men · 11,782 women
- 65–74 35,292 16,467 men · 18,825 women
- 50–64 65,977 33,000 men · 32,976 women
Younger residents
63,529 residents in Luzerne County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 19,589 9,904 boys · 9,686 girls
- 7–12 18,815 9,530 boys · 9,285 girls
- 3–7 14,540 7,418 boys · 7,122 girls
- 0–3 10,586 5,426 boys · 5,159 girls
About 24,873 residents in Luzerne County (7.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 12.1% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.4% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.9% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.8% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Luzerne County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.6% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.5% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 25.8% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Luzerne County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 537,573 cigarettes a day, 16.1 million a month, or 196.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 5.9 million minutes a day and 2.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Luzerne County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 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 | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.71 | 6.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Luzerne County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Luzerne County, PA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Luzerne County, PA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 326,964 residents against a local median of 65,382. Where Luzerne County, PA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 33% above the local median of 4.9% at 6.6%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 3.0% on uninsured, so Luzerne County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Luzerne County, PA has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | 326,964 | 76.6 yrs #5/6 | 6.6% #5/6 | 35.8% #5/6 |
| Wyoming County, PA | 25,938 | 79.4 yrs | 3.9% | 35.3% |
| Carbon County, PA | 65,382 | 77.0 yrs | 5.8% | 31.6% |
| Columbia County, PA | 65,057 | 78.4 yrs | 4.0% | 34.0% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 216,127 | 76.7 yrs | 4.9% | 32.6% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 143,391 | 76.3 yrs | 6.9% | 36.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Luzerne 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
What is the health grade for Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
Luzerne 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania?
Luzerne County ranks 53rd 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
People in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania can expect to live 76.6 years on average, 1.8 years shorter than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
6.6% of residents in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 0.9 points above the Pennsylvania rate of 5.6%.
What percentage of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania residents are obese?
35.8% of adults in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.3 points above the Pennsylvania rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 537,573 cigarettes a day, 16.1 million a month, or 196.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 5.9 million minutes a day and 2.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Luzerne County is 76.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 lifetimes a year.
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