Health Profile of Wharton County, Texas
Wharton 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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C
Wharton County Below averageLess healthy than 82% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 14.2% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 24.7% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wharton County is 77.6 years, about 0.4 years shorter than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 14.2%, lower than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 24.7% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
14,610 residents in Wharton County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 883 325 men · 559 women
- 75–84 2,162 827 men · 1,335 women
- 65–74 3,970 1,880 men · 2,090 women
- 50–64 7,594 3,723 men · 3,872 women
Younger residents
10,324 residents in Wharton County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 3,291 1,727 boys · 1,564 girls
- 7–12 2,963 1,594 boys · 1,369 girls
- 3–7 2,295 1,185 boys · 1,110 girls
- 0–3 1,774 865 boys · 909 girls
About 2,404 residents in Wharton County (5.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Wharton County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.9% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.1% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.0% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.0% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Wharton County are about the same as in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wharton County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 21.5% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.5% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 32.6% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Wharton County are about the same as in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 66,878 cigarettes a day, 2.0 million a month, or 24.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 735,657 minutes a day and 268.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wharton County is 77.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.58 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 | Wharton County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.75 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wharton County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wharton County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wharton County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 41,794 residents against a local median of 31,170. Where Wharton County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is obesity, sitting 18% above the local median of 35.6% at 42.0%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 6.8% on obesity, so Wharton County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wharton County, TX has the 6th lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton County, TX | 41,794 | 77.6 yrs #5/6 | 14.2% #3/6 | 42.0% #6/6 |
| Colorado County, TX | 21,006 | 79.5 yrs | 12.6% | 39.5% |
| Jackson County, TX | 15,152 | 78.7 yrs | 16.8% | 35.6% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 893,669 | 80.4 yrs | 11.7% | 33.6% |
| Matagorda County, TX | 36,329 | 76.4 yrs | 17.9% | 40.3% |
| Austin County, TX | 31,170 | 78.9 yrs | 16.7% | 35.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wharton County, Texas has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with Texas, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Wharton County, Texas.
Is Wharton County, Texas a healthy place to live?
Wharton County, 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 Wharton County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Wharton County ranks 203rd 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 Wharton County, Texas?
People in Wharton County, Texas can expect to live 77.6 years on average, about the same as the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Wharton County, Texas?
14.2% of residents in Wharton County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 7 people, 3.0 points below the Texas rate of 17.1%.
How common is obesity in Wharton County, Texas?
42.0% of adults in Wharton County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 4.5 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wharton County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 66,878 cigarettes a day, 2.0 million a month, or 24.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 735,657 minutes a day and 268.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wharton County is 77.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.02 lifetimes a day, or 6.58 lifetimes a year.
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