Health Profile of Union County, Pennsylvania
Union 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
Union County Around averageHealthier than 89% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Union County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.4% | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.6% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Union County is 80.6 years, about 2.1 years longer than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4 years. The uninsured rate is 10.4%, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 5.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.6% of residents, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 15.7%.
Population by Age
Older residents
15,416 residents in Union County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,348 467 men · 880 women
- 75–84 2,361 954 men · 1,407 women
- 65–74 4,056 1,973 men · 2,083 women
- 50–64 7,651 4,153 men · 3,498 women
Younger residents
7,165 residents in Union County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,384 1,332 boys · 1,052 girls
- 7–12 2,095 1,130 boys · 964 girls
- 3–7 1,536 775 boys · 761 girls
- 0–3 1,150 578 boys · 573 girls
About 2,160 residents in Union County (5.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Union County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.0% | 11.0% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.8% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.7% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.3% | 34.5% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Union County is about 23% lower than in Pennsylvania. The rate of cancer in Union County is about 19% lower than in Pennsylvania. The rate of diabetes in Union County is about 19% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Union County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.2% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.5% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Union County are about the same as in Pennsylvania.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 60,201 cigarettes a day, 1.8 million a month, or 22.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 662,207 minutes a day and 241.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 5.71 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 | Union County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.19 | 6.88 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Union County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Union County, PA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, PA is typical in size for this group, 42,451 residents against a local median of 39,662, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Where Union County, PA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 100% above the local median of 5.2% at 10.4%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 10.1% on uninsured, so Union County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Union County, PA has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, PA | 42,451 | 80.6 yrs #2/6 | 10.4% #4/6 | 33.3% #2/6 |
| Snyder County, PA | 39,662 | 81.2 yrs | 12.2% | 36.8% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 90,556 | 77.0 yrs | 5.1% | 36.6% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 113,489 | 79.1 yrs | 5.2% | 34.6% |
| Montour County, PA | 18,103 | 79.4 yrs | 3.7% | 32.5% |
| Juniata County, PA | 23,379 | 79.4 yrs | 13.8% | 35.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Union 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 Union County, Pennsylvania.
What is the health grade for Union County, Pennsylvania?
Union 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 Union County, Pennsylvania one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania?
Union County ranks 8th 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 Union County, Pennsylvania?
People in Union County, Pennsylvania can expect to live 80.6 years on average, 2.1 years longer than the Pennsylvania average of 78.4.
What is the uninsured rate in Union County, Pennsylvania?
10.4% of residents in Union County, Pennsylvania have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 4.8 points above the Pennsylvania rate of 5.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Union County, Pennsylvania?
33.3% of adults in Union County, Pennsylvania are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.2 points below the Pennsylvania rate of 34.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Union County, Pennsylvania go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 60,201 cigarettes a day, 1.8 million a month, or 22.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 662,207 minutes a day and 241.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 5.71 lifetimes a year.
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