Health Profile of Shelby County, Texas
Shelby 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
Shelby County Well below averageLess healthy than 91% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 20.9% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 23.3% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Shelby County is 75.2 years, about 2.8 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 20.9%, higher 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
8,648 residents in Shelby County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 418 132 men · 285 women
- 75–84 1,354 598 men · 756 women
- 65–74 2,449 1,215 men · 1,234 women
- 50–64 4,427 2,154 men · 2,273 women
Younger residents
5,995 residents in Shelby County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,923 978 boys · 945 girls
- 7–12 1,742 921 boys · 821 girls
- 3–7 1,302 706 boys · 595 girls
- 0–3 1,028 541 boys · 487 girls
About 1,742 residents in Shelby County (7.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Shelby County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.8% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.6% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.3% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Shelby County are about the same as in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Shelby County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.7% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.0% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 30.4% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Shelby County is about 19% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 42,453 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 466,984 minutes a day and 170.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Shelby County is 75.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.31 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 | Shelby County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.85 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Shelby County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Shelby County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, TX is typical in size for this group, 24,155 residents against a local median of 22,726, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Shelby County, TX's uninsured, at 20.9%, runs 36% above the 15.4% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 14.3% on uninsured, so Shelby County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, TX has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, TX | 24,155 | 75.2 yrs #4/6 | 20.9% #6/6 | 40.3% #5/6 |
| San Augustine County, TX | 7,874 | 74.1 yrs | 19.4% | 40.2% |
| Panola County, TX | 22,726 | 76.3 yrs | 17.0% | 37.6% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 27,025 | 73.2 yrs | 5.2% | 46.4% |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 65,162 | 75.9 yrs | 15.4% | 37.8% |
| Sabine County, TX | 10,023 | 75.8 yrs | 12.8% | 39.1% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Shelby 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 Shelby County, Texas.
Is Shelby County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Shelby 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 Shelby County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Shelby County ranks 224th 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 Shelby County, Texas?
People in Shelby County, Texas can expect to live 75.2 years on average, 2.8 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Shelby County, Texas?
20.9% of residents in Shelby County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 5 people, 3.8 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What percentage of Shelby County, Texas residents are obese?
40.3% of adults in Shelby County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 2.7 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Shelby County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 42,453 cigarettes a day, 1.3 million a month, or 15.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 466,984 minutes a day and 170.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Shelby County is 75.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 4.31 lifetimes a year.
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