Health Profile of Willacy County, Texas
Willacy 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.
-
D
Willacy County Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Willacy County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 23.9% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 30.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Willacy County is 78.8 years, about 0.8 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 23.9%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 30.1% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
5,715 residents in Willacy County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 311 106 men · 205 women
- 75–84 913 400 men · 513 women
- 65–74 1,558 701 men · 857 women
- 50–64 2,933 1,437 men · 1,496 women
Younger residents
4,772 residents in Willacy County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,496 762 boys · 734 girls
- 7–12 1,433 695 boys · 738 girls
- 3–7 1,073 517 boys · 556 girls
- 0–3 769 386 boys · 383 girls
About 806 residents in Willacy County (4.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Willacy County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 18.4% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.6% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.7% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 45.4% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Willacy County is about 33% higher than in Texas. The rate of cancer in Willacy County is about 29% lower than in Texas. The rate of obesity in Willacy County is about 21% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Willacy County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.1% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.2% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 39.2% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Willacy County is about 34% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 30,889 cigarettes a day, 926,672 a month, or 11.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 339,780 minutes a day and 124.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Willacy County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.00 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 | Willacy County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.17 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.2 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Willacy County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Willacy County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Willacy County, TX is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,139 residents against a local median of 226,114. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Willacy County, TX an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 8% above the local median at 45.4% against 42.1%. Willacy County, TX has the 4th lowest obesity of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willacy County, TX | 20,139 | 78.8 yrs #3/5 | 23.9% #3/5 | 45.4% #4/5 |
| Cameron County, TX | 421,649 | 79.0 yrs | 25.8% | 42.4% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | 80.3 yrs | 28.2% | 41.8% |
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | 76.5 yrs | 21.4% | 45.5% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 30,579 | 77.4 yrs | 16.2% | 37.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Willacy 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 Willacy County, Texas.
What is the health grade for Willacy County, Texas?
Willacy 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 Willacy County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Willacy County ranks 236th 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 Willacy County, Texas?
People in Willacy County, Texas can expect to live 78.8 years on average, 0.8 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Willacy County, Texas?
23.9% of residents in Willacy County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 6.8 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
How common is obesity in Willacy County, Texas?
45.4% of adults in Willacy County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 7.9 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
What health issue is more common in Willacy County, Texas than elsewhere?
Compared with Texas as a whole, physical inactivity stands out most: the adult rate here is 39.2%, about 34% higher than the Texas rate of 29.2%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Willacy County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 30,889 cigarettes a day, 926,672 a month, or 11.3 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 339,780 minutes a day and 124.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Willacy County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 3.00 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →