Health Profile of Cameron County, Texas
Cameron 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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D
Cameron County Well below averageLess healthy than 94% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Cameron County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 25.8% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 30.6% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Cameron County is 79.0 years, about 1.0 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 25.8%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 30.6% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
120,785 residents in Cameron County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 6,645 2,583 men · 4,062 women
- 75–84 18,585 8,182 men · 10,404 women
- 65–74 31,627 14,161 men · 17,466 women
- 50–64 63,928 29,983 men · 33,945 women
Younger residents
116,553 residents in Cameron County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 35,781 17,969 boys · 17,812 girls
- 7–12 34,353 17,592 boys · 16,762 girls
- 3–7 26,707 13,817 boys · 12,889 girls
- 0–3 19,712 10,051 boys · 9,661 girls
About 16,187 residents in Cameron County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Cameron County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17.8% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.7% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.3% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.4% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Cameron County is about 29% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Cameron County is about 28% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Cameron County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.7% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.1% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 34.9% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Cameron County is about 19% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 563,232 cigarettes a day, 16.9 million a month, or 205.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.2 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cameron County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 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 | Cameron County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.36 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Cameron County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Cameron County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Cameron County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 421,649 residents against a local median of 25,359. Cameron County, TX sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 14% above the local median at 25.8% against 22.6%. Cameron County, TX has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron County, TX | 421,649 | 79.0 yrs #2/5 | 25.8% #4/5 | 42.4% #3/5 |
| Willacy County, TX | 20,139 | 78.8 yrs | 23.9% | 45.4% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | 80.3 yrs | 28.2% | 41.8% |
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | 76.5 yrs | 21.4% | 45.5% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 30,579 | 77.4 yrs | 16.2% | 37.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Cameron County, Texas has an overall health index grade of D, making it about on par with Texas, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Cameron County, Texas.
How healthy is Cameron County, Texas?
Cameron County, Texas has a Map AI Health Index grade of D, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a D grade means residents face somewhat worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Cameron County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Cameron County ranks 232nd 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 life expectancy in Cameron County, Texas?
People in Cameron County, Texas can expect to live 79.0 years on average, 1.0 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Cameron County, Texas?
25.8% of residents in Cameron County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 8.7 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
How common is obesity in Cameron County, Texas?
42.4% of adults in Cameron County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 4.8 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
What health issue is more common in Cameron County, Texas than elsewhere?
Compared with Texas as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 17.8%, about 28% higher than the Texas rate of 13.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Cameron County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 563,232 cigarettes a day, 16.9 million a month, or 205.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.2 million minutes a day and 2.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Cameron County is 79.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 54 lifetimes a year.
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