Health Profile of Zapata County, Texas
Zapata 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
Zapata County Well below averageLess healthy than 95% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Zapata County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 27.6% | 17.1% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 30.5% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Zapata County is 78.8 years, about 0.8 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0 years. The uninsured rate is 27.6%, higher than the Texas average of 17.1%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 30.5% of residents, higher than the Texas average of 21.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
3,722 residents in Zapata County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 199 86 men · 112 women
- 75–84 578 260 men · 317 women
- 65–74 1,001 448 men · 553 women
- 50–64 1,944 910 men · 1,035 women
Younger residents
4,317 residents in Zapata County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,268 619 boys · 649 girls
- 7–12 1,280 684 boys · 596 girls
- 3–7 1,019 564 boys · 455 girls
- 0–3 750 399 boys · 351 girls
About 503 residents in Zapata County (3.6% 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 | Zapata County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17.4% | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.3% | 6.5% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 7.2% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.5% | 37.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Zapata County is about 35% lower than in Texas. The rate of diabetes in Zapata County is about 26% higher than in Texas.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Zapata County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 20.1% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.1% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 40.7% | 29.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Zapata County is about 39% higher than in Texas.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,019 cigarettes a day, 570,559 a month, or 6.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 209,205 minutes a day and 76.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Zapata County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.84 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 | Zapata County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.33 | 6.84 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Zapata County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Zapata County, TX Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Zapata County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 13,841 residents against a local median of 9,742. Nothing separates Zapata County, TX sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 3% below the local median at 42.5% against 43.7%. Zapata County, TX has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata County, TX | 13,841 | 78.8 yrs #2/6 | 27.6% #4/6 | 42.5% #2/6 |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 4,727 | 76.1 yrs | 29.0% | 43.1% |
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | 77.4 yrs | 28.9% | 43.7% |
| Webb County, TX | 269,285 | 78.6 yrs | 27.3% | 45.5% |
| Duval County, TX | 9,742 | 81.7 yrs | 22.2% | 42.3% |
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | 76.5 yrs | 21.4% | 45.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Zapata 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 Zapata County, Texas.
How healthy is Zapata County, Texas?
Zapata 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 Zapata County, Texas one of the healthiest counties in Texas?
Zapata County ranks 234th 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.
How long do people live in Zapata County, Texas?
People in Zapata County, Texas can expect to live 78.8 years on average, 0.8 years longer than the Texas average of 78.0.
What is the uninsured rate in Zapata County, Texas?
27.6% of residents in Zapata County, Texas have no health insurance, about 1 in 4 people, 10.4 points above the Texas rate of 17.1%.
What percentage of Zapata County, Texas residents are obese?
42.5% of adults in Zapata County, Texas are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 4.9 points above the Texas rate of 37.6%.
What is the biggest health concern in Zapata County, Texas?
Compared with Texas as a whole, physical inactivity stands out most: the adult rate here is 40.7%, about 39% higher than the Texas rate of 29.2%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Zapata County, Texas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 19,019 cigarettes a day, 570,559 a month, or 6.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 209,205 minutes a day and 76.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Zapata County is 78.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 1.84 lifetimes a year.
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