Health Profile of Brooks County, Texas
Brooks 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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F
Brooks County Well below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 21.4% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 35.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Brooks County is 76.5 years, about 1.5 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 21.4%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 35.1% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,312 residents in Brooks County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 105 55 men · 50 women
- 75–84 456 176 men · 280 women
- 65–74 673 285 men · 388 women
- 50–64 1,079 434 men · 645 women
Younger residents
1,575 residents in Brooks County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 403 224 boys · 179 girls
- 7–12 522 255 boys · 268 girls
- 3–7 405 188 boys · 216 girls
- 0–3 244 108 boys · 136 girls
About 474 residents in Brooks County (6.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 76.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Brooks County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 22.9% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.5% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 10.0% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 45.5% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Brooks County is about 66% higher than in Texas. The rate of heart disease in Brooks County is about 28% higher than in Texas. The rate of obesity in Brooks County is about 21% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Brooks County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.6% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 43.4% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Brooks County is about 48% higher than in Texas. The rate of binge drinking in Brooks County is about 22% lower than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 11,092 cigarettes a day, 332,753 a month, or 4.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 122,009 minutes a day and 44.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brooks County is 76.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.11 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 | Brooks County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.50 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Brooks County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Brooks County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Brooks County, TX is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 6,943 residents against a local median of 48,318. The measure that sets Brooks County, TX apart most is uninsured: 21.4%, 25% below the local median of 28.6%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 12.8% on uninsured, so Brooks County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brooks County, TX has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | 76.5 yrs #4/5 | 21.4% #2/5 | 45.5% #5/5 |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 4,727 | 76.1 yrs | 29.0% | 43.1% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | 80.3 yrs | 28.2% | 41.8% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 30,579 | 77.4 yrs | 16.2% | 37.3% |
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | 77.4 yrs | 28.9% | 43.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Brooks County, Texas has an overall health index grade of F, making it somewhat worse than Texas, and worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Brooks County, Texas.
Is Brooks County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Brooks County, Texas has a Map AI Health Index grade of F, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an F grade means residents face significantly worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Brooks County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Brooks County ranks 246th 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.
How long do people live in Brooks County, Texas?
People in Brooks County, Texas can expect to live 76.5 years on average, 1.5 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Brooks County, Texas?
21.4% of residents in Brooks County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 5 people, 4.2 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
How common is obesity in Brooks County, Texas?
45.5% of adults in Brooks County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 7.9 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
What health issue is more common in Brooks County, Texas than elsewhere?
Compared with Texas as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 23.0%, about 66% higher than the Texas rate of 13.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Brooks County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 11,092 cigarettes a day, 332,753 a month, or 4.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 122,009 minutes a day and 44.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Brooks County is 76.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.11 lifetimes a year.
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