Health Profile of Sullivan County, Tennessee
Sullivan 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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C
Sullivan County Below averageHealthier than 78% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.4 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.9% | 10.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 18.4% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Sullivan County is 75.4 years, about 0.5 years longer than the Tennessee average of 74.8 years. The uninsured rate is 8.9%, lower than the Tennessee average of 10.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 18.4% of residents, lower than the Tennessee average of 19.5%.
Population by Age
Older residents
68,962 residents in Sullivan County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,427 1,140 men · 2,287 women
- 75–84 11,525 4,919 men · 6,606 women
- 65–74 19,212 9,031 men · 10,181 women
- 50–64 34,798 17,080 men · 17,718 women
Younger residents
29,194 residents in Sullivan County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 9,827 5,211 boys · 4,616 girls
- 7–12 8,580 4,441 boys · 4,139 girls
- 3–7 6,210 3,077 boys · 3,133 girls
- 0–3 4,576 2,279 boys · 2,297 girls
About 14,468 residents in Sullivan County (9.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.7% | 13.6% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 8.1% | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.5% | 8.1% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.5% | 37.9% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Sullivan County are about the same as in Tennessee.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.2% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.2% | 13.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 26.6% | 28.4% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Sullivan County are about the same as in Tennessee.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 301,332 cigarettes a day, 9.0 million a month, or 110.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.3 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Sullivan County is 75.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 31 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 | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.09 | 6.39 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Sullivan County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Sullivan County, TN Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Sullivan County, TN is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 160,624 residents against a local median of 55,302. Nothing separates Sullivan County, TN sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 4% above the local median at 8.9% against 8.6%. Sullivan County, TN has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, TN | 160,624 | 75.4 yrs #3/5 | 8.9% #3/5 | 34.5% #3/5 |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | 75.0 yrs | 11.7% | 39.3% |
| Washington County, TN | 136,261 | 75.7 yrs | 10.4% | 34.2% |
| Scott County, VA | 21,488 | 75.2 yrs | 5.9% | 35.9% |
| Washington County, VA | 53,901 | 77.0 yrs | 6.7% | 33.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Sullivan County, Tennessee has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Tennessee, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
What is the health grade for Sullivan County, Tennessee?
Sullivan County, Tennessee has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Sullivan County, Tennessee one of the healthiest counties in Tennessee?
Sullivan County ranks 22nd 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 average lifespan in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
People in Sullivan County, Tennessee can expect to live 75.4 years on average, 0.5 years longer than the Tennessee average of 74.8.
How many people lack health insurance in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
8.9% of residents in Sullivan County, Tennessee have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 1.1 points below the Tennessee rate of 10.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
34.5% of adults in Sullivan County, Tennessee are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.4 points below the Tennessee rate of 37.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Sullivan County, Tennessee go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 301,332 cigarettes a day, 9.0 million a month, or 110.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.3 million minutes a day and 1.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Sullivan County is 75.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 31 lifetimes a year.
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