Health Profile of El Paso County, Texas
El Paso 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
El Paso County Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | El Paso County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 21.6% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 24.8% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in El Paso County is 78.5 years, about 0.5 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 21.6%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 24.8% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
240,371 residents in El Paso County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 13,220 4,680 men · 8,540 women
- 75–84 32,809 13,281 men · 19,528 women
- 65–74 60,080 26,918 men · 33,162 women
- 50–64 134,263 64,621 men · 69,643 women
Younger residents
219,064 residents in El Paso County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 69,899 35,851 boys · 34,048 girls
- 7–12 64,534 32,844 boys · 31,690 girls
- 3–7 48,189 24,408 boys · 23,781 girls
- 0–3 36,442 18,577 boys · 17,864 girls
About 31,981 residents in El Paso County (3.7% 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 | El Paso County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 16.2% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.2% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.4% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.8% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in El Paso County is about 35% lower than in Texas. The rate of heart disease in El Paso County is about 18% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in El Paso County is about 17% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | El Paso County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.4% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 31.9% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in El Paso County is about 19% lower than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.0 million cigarettes a day, 31.3 million a month, or 381.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 11.5 million minutes a day and 4.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in El Paso County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.28 lifetimes a day, or 102 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 | El Paso County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.11 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in El Paso County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
El Paso County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
El Paso County, TX is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 870,506 residents against a local median of 25,611. Where El Paso County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 115% above the local median of 10.1% at 21.6%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 27.3% on uninsured, so El Paso County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. El Paso County, TX has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County, TX | 870,506 | 78.5 yrs #2/6 | 21.6% #5/6 | 37.8% #5/6 |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 224,261 | 79.5 yrs | 11.3% | 30.9% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 3,403 | 77.2 yrs | 31.4% | 43.1% |
| Otero County, NM | 68,816 | 77.4 yrs | 10.1% | 32.2% |
| Luna County, NM | 25,611 | 76.8 yrs | 9.3% | 33.3% |
| Sierra County, NM | 11,501 | 75.5 yrs | 4.1% | 34.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, El Paso 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 El Paso County, Texas.
Is El Paso County, Texas a healthy place to live?
El Paso 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 El Paso County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
El Paso County ranks 147th 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 El Paso County, Texas?
People in El Paso 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 El Paso County, Texas?
21.6% of residents in El Paso County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 5 people, 4.5 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
How common is obesity in El Paso County, Texas?
37.8% of adults in El Paso County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in El Paso County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.0 million cigarettes a day, 31.3 million a month, or 381.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 11.5 million minutes a day and 4.2 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in El Paso County is 78.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.28 lifetimes a day, or 102 lifetimes a year.
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