Health Profile of Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake 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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A
Salt Lake County Above averageHealthier than 74% of counties in Utah
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Salt Lake County | Utah Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.2% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.2% | 13.1% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Salt Lake County is 78.9 years, about 1.1 years shorter than the Utah average of 80.0 years. The uninsured rate is 9.2%, higher than the Utah average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.2% of residents, lower than the Utah average of 13.1%.
Population by Age
Older residents
308,757 residents in Salt Lake County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 14,102 5,289 men · 8,813 women
- 75–84 36,416 15,725 men · 20,691 women
- 65–74 73,672 34,911 men · 38,761 women
- 50–64 184,566 93,717 men · 90,849 women
Younger residents
292,806 residents in Salt Lake County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 91,459 47,166 boys · 44,293 girls
- 7–12 86,893 44,250 boys · 42,642 girls
- 3–7 66,018 33,486 boys · 32,531 girls
- 0–3 48,436 24,758 boys · 23,678 girls
About 34,038 residents in Salt Lake County (2.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Salt Lake County | Utah Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.4% | 9.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.5% | 6.0% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.6% | 29.5% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Salt Lake County is about 25% lower than in Utah. The rate of cancer in Salt Lake County is about 18% lower than in Utah.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Salt Lake County | Utah Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 9.8% | 11.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 14.0% | 11.3% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.3% | 18.2% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Salt Lake County is about 23% higher than in Utah.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 872,617 cigarettes a day, 26.2 million a month, or 318.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.6 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Salt Lake County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 85 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 | Salt Lake County | Utah Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.71 | 4.90 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Salt Lake County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Salt Lake County, UT Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Salt Lake County, UT is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,196,263 residents against a local median of 269,655. Salt Lake County, UT's uninsured, at 9.2%, runs 23% above the 7.5% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.0% on uninsured, so Salt Lake County, UT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Salt Lake County, UT has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake County, UT | 1,196,263 | 78.9 yrs #4/6 | 9.2% #6/6 | 29.6% #4/6 |
| Davis County, UT | 370,319 | 80.3 yrs | 5.7% | 32.6% |
| Morgan County, UT | 12,802 | 78.4 yrs | 4.8% | 26.1% |
| Weber County, UT | 269,655 | 77.6 yrs | 8.8% | 33.8% |
| Utah County, UT | 704,800 | 80.0 yrs | 7.5% | 28.6% |
| Wasatch County, UT | 36,658 | 79.5 yrs | 7.5% | 29.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Salt Lake County, Utah has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Utah, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Salt Lake County, Utah.
How healthy is Salt Lake County, Utah?
Salt Lake County, Utah has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Salt Lake County, Utah one of the healthiest counties in Utah?
Salt Lake County ranks 8th healthiest out of 28 counties in Utah by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Salt Lake County, Utah?
People in Salt Lake County, Utah can expect to live 78.9 years on average, 1.1 years shorter than the Utah average of 80.0.
How many people lack health insurance in Salt Lake County, Utah?
9.2% of residents in Salt Lake County, Utah have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 0.8 points above the Utah rate of 8.4%.
What percentage of Salt Lake County, Utah residents are obese?
29.6% of adults in Salt Lake County, Utah are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the Utah rate of 29.5%.
What is the biggest health concern in Salt Lake County, Utah?
Compared with Utah as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 14.0%, about 23% higher than the Utah rate of 11.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Salt Lake County, Utah go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 872,617 cigarettes a day, 26.2 million a month, or 318.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 9.6 million minutes a day and 3.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Salt Lake County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.23 lifetimes a day, or 85 lifetimes a year.
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