Health Profile of Brown County, South Dakota
Brown 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
Brown County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Brown County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.7% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.6% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Brown County is 79.7 years, about 0.2 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 5.7%, lower than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.6% of residents, lower than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
13,710 residents in Brown County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 963 301 men · 662 women
- 75–84 2,140 903 men · 1,238 women
- 65–74 3,513 1,692 men · 1,821 women
- 50–64 7,094 3,463 men · 3,631 women
Younger residents
8,521 residents in Brown County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,698 1,422 boys · 1,276 girls
- 7–12 2,532 1,285 boys · 1,248 girls
- 3–7 1,882 920 boys · 962 girls
- 0–3 1,409 673 boys · 736 girls
About 2,032 residents in Brown County (5.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Brown County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.7% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.0% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.2% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.2% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Brown County is about 20% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of diabetes in Brown County is about 17% lower than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Brown County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.4% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.4% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Brown County are about the same as in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 50,409 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 554,497 minutes a day and 202.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brown County is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.83 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 | Brown County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.02 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Brown County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Brown County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Brown County, SD is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 37,877 residents against a local median of 5,186. Where Brown County, SD breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 29% below the local median of 8.1% at 5.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.9% on uninsured, so Brown County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brown County, SD has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, SD | 37,877 | 79.7 yrs #4/5 | 5.7% #2/5 | 32.2% #2/5 |
| Dickey County, ND | 4,935 | 80.9 yrs | 7.7% | 33.2% |
| Spink County, SD | 6,219 | 81.2 yrs | 9.4% | 34.9% |
| Day County, SD | 5,437 | 78.7 yrs | 8.5% | 36.3% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 4,048 | 81.1 yrs | 4.4% | 32.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Brown County, South Dakota has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than South Dakota, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Brown County, South Dakota.
How healthy is Brown County, South Dakota?
Brown County, South Dakota 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 Brown County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Brown County ranks 24th healthiest out of 62 counties in South Dakota by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Brown County, South Dakota?
People in Brown County, South Dakota can expect to live 79.7 years on average, about the same as the South Dakota average of 79.9.
What percentage of Brown County, South Dakota residents are uninsured?
5.7% of residents in Brown County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 18 people, 3.3 points below the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
How common is obesity in Brown County, South Dakota?
32.2% of adults in Brown County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.7 points below the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Brown County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 50,409 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 554,497 minutes a day and 202.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brown County is 79.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.83 lifetimes a year.
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