Health Profile of Polk County, Texas
Polk 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
Polk County Well below averageLess healthy than 92% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 14.4% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 23.3% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Polk County is 74.2 years, about 3.8 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 14.4%, lower than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 23.3% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
22,055 residents in Polk County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 743 281 men · 461 women
- 75–84 2,273 1,147 men · 1,125 women
- 65–74 6,967 3,565 men · 3,402 women
- 50–64 12,072 6,269 men · 5,803 women
Younger residents
10,288 residents in Polk County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 3,315 1,722 boys · 1,593 girls
- 7–12 3,055 1,642 boys · 1,413 girls
- 3–7 2,245 1,188 boys · 1,057 girls
- 0–3 1,673 853 boys · 820 girls
About 3,513 residents in Polk County (6.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 74.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Polk County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.0% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 9.5% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 38.9% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Polk County is about 22% higher than in Texas. The rate of cancer in Polk County is about 19% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Polk County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 24.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.6% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 33.0% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Polk County is about 21% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 101,690 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 408.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 74.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 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 | Polk County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.69 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Polk County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Polk County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 52,800 residents against a local median of 28,441. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Polk County, TX an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 10% below the local median at 14.4% against 16.0%. Polk County, TX has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TX | 52,800 | 74.2 yrs #6/6 | 14.4% #1/6 | 38.9% #3/6 |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 28,441 | 74.5 yrs | 17.7% | 39.2% |
| Trinity County, TX | 14,046 | 77.1 yrs | 16.0% | 41.5% |
| Tyler County, TX | 20,238 | 77.1 yrs | 15.7% | 34.0% |
| Angelina County, TX | 87,274 | 76.0 yrs | 17.7% | 39.8% |
| Hardin County, TX | 57,642 | 76.2 yrs | 15.9% | 37.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Polk 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 Polk County, Texas.
How healthy is Polk County, Texas?
Polk 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 Polk County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Polk County ranks 227th 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 Polk County, Texas?
People in Polk County, Texas can expect to live 74.2 years on average, 3.8 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Polk County, Texas?
14.4% of residents in Polk County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 7 people, 2.8 points below the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What percentage of Polk County, Texas residents are obese?
38.9% of adults in Polk County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.4 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
What is the biggest health concern in Polk County, Texas?
Compared with Texas as a whole, smoking stands out most: the adult rate here is 24.2%, about 21% higher than the Texas rate of 19.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Polk County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 101,690 cigarettes a day, 3.1 million a month, or 37.1 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.1 million minutes a day and 408.3 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Polk County is 74.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.03 lifetimes a day, or 10 lifetimes a year.
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