Health Profile of Dawson County, Texas
Dawson 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.
-
C
Dawson County Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dawson County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 22.5% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 25.2% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dawson County is 78.4 years, about 0.4 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 22.5%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 25.3% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
3,638 residents in Dawson County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 206 86 men · 120 women
- 75–84 612 251 men · 361 women
- 65–74 893 408 men · 485 women
- 50–64 1,927 1,027 men · 900 women
Younger residents
2,789 residents in Dawson County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 841 476 boys · 364 girls
- 7–12 826 446 boys · 380 girls
- 3–7 641 334 boys · 307 girls
- 0–3 481 246 boys · 235 girls
About 584 residents in Dawson County (4.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dawson County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.1% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.9% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Dawson County are about the same as in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dawson County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.8% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.5% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 34.2% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Dawson County is about 17% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 20,032 cigarettes a day, 600,960 a month, or 7.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 220,352 minutes a day and 80.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.95 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 | Dawson County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.47 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dawson County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dawson County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dawson County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 12,134 residents against a local median of 8,690. Where Dawson County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 47% above the local median of 15.3% at 22.5%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 14.0% on uninsured, so Dawson County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dawson County, TX has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, TX | 12,134 | 78.4 yrs #3/5 | 22.5% #4/5 | 39.9% #5/5 |
| Martin County, TX | 5,218 | 84.2 yrs | 17.1% | 36.2% |
| Lynn County, TX | 5,752 | 78.7 yrs | 12.9% | 39.3% |
| Terry County, TX | 11,629 | 76.2 yrs | 26.9% | 39.5% |
| Howard County, TX | 32,290 | 73.8 yrs | 13.6% | 38.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dawson 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 Dawson County, Texas.
What is the health grade for Dawson County, Texas?
Dawson 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 Dawson County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Dawson County ranks 184th 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 Dawson County, Texas?
People in Dawson County, Texas can expect to live 78.4 years on average, about the same as the Texas average of 78.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Dawson County, Texas?
22.5% of residents in Dawson County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 5.4 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What percentage of Dawson County, Texas residents are obese?
39.9% of adults in Dawson County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.3 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dawson County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 20,032 cigarettes a day, 600,960 a month, or 7.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 220,352 minutes a day and 80.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dawson County is 78.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.95 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →