Health Profile of Knox County, Tennessee
Knox 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
Knox County Around averageHealthier than 95% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Knox County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.0 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.3% | 10.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.5% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Knox County is 76.0 years, about 1.2 years longer than the Tennessee average of 74.8 years. The uninsured rate is 8.3%, lower than the Tennessee average of 10.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.5% of residents, lower than the Tennessee average of 19.5%.
Population by Age
Older residents
163,759 residents in Knox County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 8,431 2,846 men · 5,585 women
- 75–84 22,510 9,433 men · 13,077 women
- 65–74 42,374 19,744 men · 22,631 women
- 50–64 90,443 44,476 men · 45,968 women
Younger residents
99,516 residents in Knox County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 30,724 15,814 boys · 14,910 girls
- 7–12 29,486 14,911 boys · 14,574 girls
- 3–7 22,637 11,537 boys · 11,100 girls
- 0–3 16,669 8,681 boys · 7,988 girls
About 28,049 residents in Knox County (5.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Knox County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.4% | 13.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.4% | 8.1% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.9% | 37.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Knox County is about 22% lower than in Tennessee. The rate of diabetes in Knox County is about 16% lower than in Tennessee.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Knox County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.1% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.0% | 13.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.2% | 28.4% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Knox County is about 20% lower than in Tennessee. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Knox County is about 18% lower than in Tennessee.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 784,748 cigarettes a day, 23.5 million a month, or 286.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.6 million minutes a day and 3.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Knox County is 76.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.22 lifetimes a day, or 79 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 | Knox County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.13 | 6.39 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Knox County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Knox County, TN Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Knox County, TN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 494,148 residents against a local median of 58,580. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Knox County, TN an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 6% below the local median at 34.9% against 37.0%. Knox County, TN has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, TN | 494,148 | 76.0 yrs #4/6 | 8.3% #2/6 | 34.9% #1/6 |
| Anderson County, TN | 79,153 | 76.5 yrs | 8.5% | 37.0% |
| Blount County, TN | 139,333 | 76.5 yrs | 9.4% | 36.9% |
| Union County, TN | 20,431 | 73.4 yrs | 8.1% | 38.2% |
| Loudon County, TN | 58,580 | 76.1 yrs | 8.8% | 36.6% |
| Campbell County, TN | 39,761 | 72.8 yrs | 8.7% | 38.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Knox County, Tennessee has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Tennessee, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Knox County, Tennessee.
Is Knox County, Tennessee a healthy place to live?
Knox County, Tennessee 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 Knox County, Tennessee one of the healthiest counties in Tennessee?
Knox County ranks 6th healthiest out of 95 counties in Tennessee by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Knox County, Tennessee?
People in Knox County, Tennessee can expect to live 76.0 years on average, 1.2 years longer than the Tennessee average of 74.8.
What percentage of Knox County, Tennessee residents are uninsured?
8.3% of residents in Knox County, Tennessee have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 1.8 points below the Tennessee rate of 10.0%.
How common is obesity in Knox County, Tennessee?
34.9% of adults in Knox County, Tennessee are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.0 points below the Tennessee rate of 37.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Knox County, Tennessee go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 784,748 cigarettes a day, 23.5 million a month, or 286.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 8.6 million minutes a day and 3.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Knox County is 76.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.22 lifetimes a day, or 79 lifetimes a year.
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