Health Profile of Mathews County, Virginia
Mathews 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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B
Mathews County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Mathews County | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 82.0 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.8% | 6.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 16.5% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Mathews County is 82.0 years, about 4.7 years longer than the Virginia average of 77.3 years. The uninsured rate is 6.8%, lower than the Virginia average of 6.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 16.5% of residents, lower than the Virginia average of 16.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
4,527 residents in Mathews County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 297 115 men · 181 women
- 75–84 827 365 men · 462 women
- 65–74 1,378 642 men · 736 women
- 50–64 2,026 952 men · 1,073 women
Younger residents
1,300 residents in Mathews County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 500 252 boys · 249 girls
- 7–12 373 229 boys · 144 girls
- 3–7 252 149 boys · 103 girls
- 0–3 174 90 boys · 85 girls
About 489 residents in Mathews County (5.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 82.0 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Mathews County | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.2% | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 9.2% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.5% | 6.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.5% | 36.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Mathews County is about 35% higher than in Virginia. The rate of heart disease in Mathews County is about 25% higher than in Virginia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Mathews County | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.3% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.3% | 15.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.3% | 24.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Mathews County are about the same as in Virginia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 11,953 cigarettes a day, 358,605 a month, or 4.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 131,488 minutes a day and 48.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Mathews County is 82.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.11 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 | Mathews County | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.55 | 6.12 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Mathews County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Mathews County, VA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Mathews County, VA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 8,540 residents against a local median of 25,231. Mathews County, VA's uninsured, at 6.8%, runs 30% above the 5.2% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.9% on uninsured, so Mathews County, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mathews County, VA has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathews County, VA | 8,540 | 82.0 yrs #1/5 | 6.8% #5/5 | 34.5% #3/5 |
| York County, VA | 71,005 | 79.8 yrs | 3.6% | 32.0% |
| Gloucester County, VA | 39,526 | 77.7 yrs | 4.9% | 35.8% |
| Middlesex County, VA | 10,847 | 78.0 yrs | 5.6% | 34.1% |
| Lancaster County, VA | 10,936 | 78.4 yrs | 6.5% | 34.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Mathews County, 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 Mathews County, Virginia.
What is the health grade for Mathews County, Virginia?
Mathews County, 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.
Is Mathews County, Virginia one of the healthiest counties in Virginia?
Mathews County ranks 50th healthiest out of 133 counties in Virginia by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Mathews County, Virginia?
People in Mathews County, Virginia can expect to live 82.0 years on average, 4.7 years longer than the Virginia average of 77.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Mathews County, Virginia?
6.8% of residents in Mathews County, Virginia have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, about the same as the Virginia rate of 6.9%.
What percentage of Mathews County, Virginia residents are obese?
34.5% of adults in Mathews County, Virginia are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.9 points below the Virginia rate of 36.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Mathews County, Virginia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 11,953 cigarettes a day, 358,605 a month, or 4.4 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 131,488 minutes a day and 48.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Mathews County is 82.0 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.11 lifetimes a year.
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