Health Profile of Dallas County, Texas
Dallas 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
Dallas County Below averageHealthier than 71% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dallas County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 21.5% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 18.8% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dallas County is 77.9 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 21.5%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 18.8% of residents, lower than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
709,352 residents in Dallas County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 31,151 10,780 men · 20,370 women
- 75–84 79,272 32,980 men · 46,291 women
- 65–74 165,936 75,504 men · 90,432 women
- 50–64 432,993 215,177 men · 217,816 women
Younger residents
630,218 residents in Dallas County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 196,384 101,568 boys · 94,816 girls
- 7–12 182,484 93,540 boys · 88,945 girls
- 3–7 141,973 72,125 boys · 69,848 girls
- 0–3 109,377 55,800 boys · 53,576 girls
About 82,705 residents in Dallas County (3.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dallas County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.6% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.2% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 36.0% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Dallas County is about 33% lower than in Texas. The rate of cancer in Dallas County is about 27% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Dallas County is about 17% lower than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dallas County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.7% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.5% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 27.9% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Dallas County are about the same as in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 3.5 million cigarettes a day, 104.1 million a month, or 1.3 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 38.2 million minutes a day and 13.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dallas County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.93 lifetimes a day, or 340 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 | Dallas County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.06 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dallas County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dallas County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dallas County, TX is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 2,620,115 residents against a local median of 213,271. The measure that sets Dallas County, TX apart most is uninsured: 21.5%, 43% above the local median of 15.0%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.1% on uninsured, so Dallas County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dallas County, TX has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, TX | 2,620,115 | 77.9 yrs #3/6 | 21.5% #6/6 | 36.0% #4/6 |
| Rockwall County, TX | 123,617 | 79.4 yrs | 8.7% | 33.2% |
| Ellis County, TX | 213,271 | 77.8 yrs | 15.0% | 34.4% |
| Collin County, TX | 1,163,170 | 80.5 yrs | 9.5% | 29.0% |
| Tarrant County, TX | 2,166,122 | 77.5 yrs | 16.7% | 37.4% |
| Kaufman County, TX | 172,699 | 76.4 yrs | 15.0% | 36.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dallas County, Texas has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Texas, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Dallas County, Texas.
How healthy is Dallas County, Texas?
Dallas County, Texas 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 Dallas County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Dallas County ranks 73rd 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 Dallas County, Texas?
People in Dallas County, Texas can expect to live 77.9 years on average, about the same as the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Dallas County, Texas?
21.5% of residents in Dallas County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 5 people, 4.3 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What is the obesity rate in Dallas County, Texas?
36.0% of adults in Dallas County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.5 points below the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dallas County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 3.5 million cigarettes a day, 104.1 million a month, or 1.3 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 38.2 million minutes a day and 13.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dallas County is 77.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.93 lifetimes a day, or 340 lifetimes a year.
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