Health Profile of Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake 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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B
Chesapeake Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Chesapeake | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.8% | 6.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.9% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Chesapeake is 77.2 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the Virginia average of 77.3 years. The uninsured rate is 5.8%, lower than the Virginia average of 6.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.9% of residents, lower than the Virginia average of 16.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
79,704 residents in Chesapeake are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,344 1,098 men · 2,246 women
- 75–84 9,391 3,851 men · 5,539 women
- 65–74 19,513 8,835 men · 10,679 women
- 50–64 47,456 23,036 men · 24,420 women
Younger residents
60,160 residents in Chesapeake are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 19,071 9,790 boys · 9,282 girls
- 7–12 17,958 9,217 boys · 8,741 girls
- 3–7 13,400 6,845 boys · 6,555 girls
- 0–3 9,730 4,956 boys · 4,774 girls
About 10,254 residents in Chesapeake (4.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 77.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Chesapeake | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.6% | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.8% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.1% | 6.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.5% | 36.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Chesapeake is about 24% lower than in Virginia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Chesapeake | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.7% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.3% | 15.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.5% | 24.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Chesapeake are about the same as in Virginia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 319,406 cigarettes a day, 9.6 million a month, or 116.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Chesapeake is 77.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 32 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 | Chesapeake | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.03 | 6.12 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Chesapeake is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Chesapeake, VA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Chesapeake, VA is typical in size for this group, 252,549 residents against a local median of 233,287, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Chesapeake, VA's uninsured, at 5.8%, runs 21% below the 7.4% typical of the cities around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread 2.8% on uninsured, so Chesapeake, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Chesapeake, VA has the lowest uninsured of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake, VA | 252,549 | 77.2 yrs #2/4 | 5.8% #1/4 | 37.5% #2/4 |
| Portsmouth, VA | 97,157 | 73.1 yrs | 7.4% | 42.5% |
| Norfolk, VA | 233,287 | 75.2 yrs | 9.1% | 37.6% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 456,072 | 78.5 yrs | 6.3% | 32.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Chesapeake, Virginia has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than Virginia, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Is Chesapeake, Virginia a healthy place to live?
Chesapeake, Virginia has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
What is the life expectancy in Chesapeake, Virginia?
People in Chesapeake, Virginia can expect to live 77.2 years on average, about the same as the Virginia average of 77.3.
What percentage of Chesapeake, Virginia residents are uninsured?
5.8% of residents in Chesapeake, Virginia have no health insurance, about 1 in 17 people, 1.1 points below the Virginia rate of 6.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Chesapeake, Virginia?
37.5% of adults in Chesapeake, Virginia are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.2 points above the Virginia rate of 36.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Chesapeake, Virginia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 319,406 cigarettes a day, 9.6 million a month, or 116.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.5 million minutes a day and 1.3 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Chesapeake is 77.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 32 lifetimes a year.
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