Health Profile of Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo 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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D
Hidalgo County Well below averageLess healthy than 93% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 28.2% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 28.4% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Hidalgo County is 80.3 years, about 2.3 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 28.2%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 28.4% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
220,289 residents in Hidalgo County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,892 4,245 men · 6,647 women
- 75–84 32,055 14,135 men · 17,920 women
- 65–74 54,392 24,862 men · 29,530 women
- 50–64 122,950 57,567 men · 65,384 women
Younger residents
266,752 residents in Hidalgo County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 85,701 43,547 boys · 42,154 girls
- 7–12 79,315 40,661 boys · 38,654 girls
- 3–7 58,352 29,814 boys · 28,538 girls
- 0–3 43,384 22,103 boys · 21,281 girls
About 23,113 residents in Hidalgo County (2.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17.9% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.3% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 41.8% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Hidalgo County is about 34% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Hidalgo County is about 29% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.1% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.8% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 33.4% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Hidalgo County are about the same as in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.1 million cigarettes a day, 33.4 million a month, or 406.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 12.2 million minutes a day and 4.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Hidalgo County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.29 lifetimes a day, or 106 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 | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.22 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Hidalgo County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Hidalgo County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Hidalgo County, TX is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 891,846 residents against a local median of 43,098. Hidalgo County, TX sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 14% above the local median at 28.2% against 24.9%. Hidalgo County, TX has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | 80.3 yrs #1/5 | 28.2% #4/5 | 41.8% #1/5 |
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | 77.4 yrs | 28.9% | 43.7% |
| Willacy County, TX | 20,139 | 78.8 yrs | 23.9% | 45.4% |
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | 76.5 yrs | 21.4% | 45.5% |
| Cameron County, TX | 421,649 | 79.0 yrs | 25.8% | 42.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Hidalgo County, Texas has an overall health index grade of D, making it about on par with Texas, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Hidalgo County, Texas.
Is Hidalgo County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Hidalgo County, Texas has a Map AI Health Index grade of D, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a D grade means residents face somewhat worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Hidalgo County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Hidalgo County ranks 229th 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 Hidalgo County, Texas?
People in Hidalgo County, Texas can expect to live 80.3 years on average, 2.3 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Hidalgo County, Texas?
28.2% of residents in Hidalgo County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 11.1 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What is the obesity rate in Hidalgo County, Texas?
41.8% of adults in Hidalgo County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 4.2 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
Which health problem stands out most in Hidalgo County, Texas?
Compared with Texas as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 17.9%, about 29% higher than the Texas rate of 13.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Hidalgo County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 1.1 million cigarettes a day, 33.4 million a month, or 406.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 12.2 million minutes a day and 4.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Hidalgo County is 80.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.29 lifetimes a day, or 106 lifetimes a year.
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