Health Profile of Brazos County, Texas
Brazos 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
Brazos County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Brazos County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 12.2% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.0% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Brazos County is 78.5 years, about 0.5 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 12.2%, lower than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.0% of residents, lower than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
52,617 residents in Brazos County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,630 950 men · 1,680 women
- 75–84 6,419 2,758 men · 3,660 women
- 65–74 12,663 5,923 men · 6,740 women
- 50–64 30,906 15,200 men · 15,706 women
Younger residents
48,284 residents in Brazos County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 13,744 6,941 boys · 6,803 girls
- 7–12 14,205 7,190 boys · 7,015 girls
- 3–7 11,593 5,890 boys · 5,704 girls
- 0–3 8,742 4,425 boys · 4,317 girls
About 6,388 residents in Brazos County (2.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Brazos County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.3% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 3.9% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.3% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.2% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Brazos County is about 45% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Brazos County is about 40% lower than in Texas. The rate of cancer in Brazos County is about 40% lower than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Brazos County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.7% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.3% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Brazos County is about 24% lower than in Texas. The rate of smoking in Brazos County is about 19% lower than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 313,770 cigarettes a day, 9.4 million a month, or 114.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brazos County is 78.5 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 | Brazos County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.68 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Brazos County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Brazos County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Brazos County, TX is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 242,290 residents against a local median of 18,857. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Brazos County, TX an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 10% below the local median at 33.2% against 36.9%. Brazos County, TX has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazos County, TX | 242,290 | 78.5 yrs #4/6 | 12.2% #2/6 | 33.2% #1/6 |
| Grimes County, TX | 31,340 | 78.8 yrs | 18.3% | 41.1% |
| Burleson County, TX | 18,857 | 78.3 yrs | 12.6% | 36.0% |
| Robertson County, TX | 17,166 | 78.8 yrs | 11.3% | 38.3% |
| Washington County, TX | 36,647 | 78.6 yrs | 14.5% | 35.1% |
| Madison County, TX | 13,648 | 74.9 yrs | 12.9% | 36.9% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Brazos County, Texas has an overall health index grade of B, making it notably better than Texas, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Brazos County, Texas.
Is Brazos County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Brazos County, Texas 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 Brazos County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Brazos County ranks 10th healthiest out of 247 counties in Texas by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Brazos County, Texas?
People in Brazos County, Texas can expect to live 78.5 years on average, 0.5 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Brazos County, Texas?
12.2% of residents in Brazos County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 8 people, 4.9 points below the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What percentage of Brazos County, Texas residents are obese?
33.2% of adults in Brazos County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.3 points below the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Brazos County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 313,770 cigarettes a day, 9.4 million a month, or 114.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brazos County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.08 lifetimes a day, or 31 lifetimes a year.
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