Health Profile of Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend 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.
-
B
Fort Bend County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Fort Bend County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.4 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.7% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Fort Bend County is 80.4 years, about 2.4 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 11.7%, lower than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.1% of residents, lower than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
253,232 residents in Fort Bend County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 7,411 2,497 men · 4,913 women
- 75–84 23,091 10,252 men · 12,839 women
- 65–74 57,620 27,493 men · 30,127 women
- 50–64 165,111 81,163 men · 83,948 women
Younger residents
236,101 residents in Fort Bend County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 74,146 38,146 boys · 36,000 girls
- 7–12 72,167 36,969 boys · 35,197 girls
- 3–7 52,943 26,978 boys · 25,966 girls
- 0–3 36,846 18,800 boys · 18,046 girls
About 15,539 residents in Fort Bend County (1.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.4 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Fort Bend County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.6% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.7% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.6% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Fort Bend County is about 39% lower than in Texas. The rate of cancer in Fort Bend County is about 28% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Fort Bend County is about 17% lower than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Fort Bend County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.7% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.6% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.3% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Fort Bend County is about 21% lower than in Texas. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Fort Bend County is about 20% lower than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.0 million cigarettes a day, 30.9 million a month, or 376.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 11.3 million minutes a day and 4.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Fort Bend County is 80.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.27 lifetimes a day, or 98 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 | Fort Bend County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 9.09 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 9.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Fort Bend County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Fort Bend County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Fort Bend County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 893,669 residents against a local median of 61,552. Where Fort Bend County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 30% below the local median of 16.7% at 11.7%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.2% on uninsured, so Fort Bend County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fort Bend County, TX has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bend County, TX | 893,669 | 80.4 yrs #1/6 | 11.7% #1/6 | 33.6% #1/6 |
| Brazoria County, TX | 391,275 | 77.0 yrs | 12.7% | 41.0% |
| Harris County, TX | 4,837,278 | 77.9 yrs | 20.9% | 37.9% |
| Wharton County, TX | 41,794 | 77.6 yrs | 14.2% | 42.0% |
| Waller County, TX | 61,552 | 80.1 yrs | 20.1% | 36.2% |
| Austin County, TX | 31,170 | 78.9 yrs | 16.7% | 35.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Fort Bend County, Texas has an overall health index grade of B, making it notably better than Texas, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Fort Bend County, Texas.
Is Fort Bend County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Fort Bend County, Texas has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Fort Bend County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Fort Bend County ranks 11th 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 Fort Bend County, Texas?
People in Fort Bend County, Texas can expect to live 80.4 years on average, 2.4 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Fort Bend County, Texas?
11.7% of residents in Fort Bend County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, 5.5 points below the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What is the obesity rate in Fort Bend County, Texas?
33.6% of adults in Fort Bend County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.0 points below the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Fort Bend 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, 30.9 million a month, or 376.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 11.3 million minutes a day and 4.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Fort Bend County is 80.4 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.27 lifetimes a day, or 98 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 →