Health Profile of Texas
Texas 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
Texas Below averageLess healthy than 86% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Texas
- Collin County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Travis County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Denton County (103% of U.S. avg)
- Starr County (91% of U.S. avg)
- Brooks County (92% of U.S. avg)
- Presidio County (92% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Texas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Texas is 78.0 years, about 0.3 years shorter than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 17.1%, higher than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 21.1% of residents, higher than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
8,715,660 residents in Texas are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 401,389 139,351 men · 262,038 women
- 75–84 1,072,394 461,714 men · 610,679 women
- 65–74 2,131,338 997,552 men · 1,133,787 women
- 50–64 5,110,539 2,534,892 men · 2,575,647 women
Younger residents
7,291,279 residents in Texas are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 2,274,307 1,162,830 boys · 1,111,476 girls
- 7–12 2,180,738 1,117,437 boys · 1,063,301 girls
- 3–7 1,641,004 840,466 boys · 800,539 girls
- 0–3 1,195,229 610,403 boys · 584,826 girls
About 1,092,532 residents in Texas (3.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Texas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Texas is about 23% higher than in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Texas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Texas is about 16% higher than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 45.1 million cigarettes a day, 1.4 billion a month, or 16.5 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 496.2 million minutes a day and 181.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Texas is 78.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 12 lifetimes a day, or 4,419 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 | Texas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Texas is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Texas Health Compared With Nearby States
Texas is the largest of the 6 states compared here, 30,160,889 residents against a local median of 3,049,066. Where Texas breaks from the states next to it is uninsured, sitting 90% above the local median of 9.0% at 17.1%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 5.0% on uninsured, so Texas sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Texas has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 30,160,889 | 78.0 yrs #3/6 | 17.1% #6/6 | 37.6% #3/6 |
| Oklahoma | 4,028,385 | 76.5 yrs | 12.9% | 39.0% |
| Kansas | 2,945,842 | 78.6 yrs | 8.8% | 37.3% |
| New Mexico | 2,118,085 | 78.6 yrs | 9.6% | 31.4% |
| Louisiana | 4,610,276 | 75.1 yrs | 7.8% | 40.3% |
| Arkansas | 3,049,066 | 75.5 yrs | 9.0% | 39.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Texas has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Texas.
What is the health grade for Texas?
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 Texas one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Texas ranks 44th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Texas?
People in Texas can expect to live 78.0 years on average, about the same as the US average of 78.3.
What percentage of Texas residents are uninsured?
17.1% of residents in Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 6 people, 8.7 points above the US rate of 8.4%.
What is the obesity rate in Texas?
37.6% of adults in Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.3 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
What health issue is more common in Texas than elsewhere?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 13.9%, about 23% higher than the US rate of 11.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 45.1 million cigarettes a day, 1.4 billion a month, or 16.5 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 496.2 million minutes a day and 181.1 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Texas is 78.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 12 lifetimes a day, or 4,419 lifetimes a year.
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