Health Profile of Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk 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
Norfolk Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Norfolk | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.1% | 6.9% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 17.1% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Norfolk is 75.2 years, about 2.0 years shorter than the Virginia average of 77.3 years. The uninsured rate is 9.1%, higher than the Virginia average of 6.9%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 17.1% of residents, higher than the Virginia average of 16.9%.
Population by Age
Older residents
62,663 residents in Norfolk are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 3,003 973 men · 2,030 women
- 75–84 7,922 3,283 men · 4,638 women
- 65–74 15,747 6,992 men · 8,755 women
- 50–64 35,991 16,920 men · 19,071 women
Younger residents
45,210 residents in Norfolk are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 12,258 6,027 boys · 6,232 girls
- 7–12 12,906 6,596 boys · 6,310 girls
- 3–7 11,168 5,803 boys · 5,365 girls
- 0–3 8,878 4,539 boys · 4,339 girls
About 10,697 residents in Norfolk (4.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Norfolk | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 11.1% | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.1% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.2% | 6.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.6% | 36.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of cancer in Norfolk is about 25% lower than in Virginia. The rate of heart disease in Norfolk is about 24% lower than in Virginia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Norfolk | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.4% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 15.7% | 15.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 23.8% | 24.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Norfolk are about the same as in Virginia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 360,944 cigarettes a day, 10.8 million a month, or 131.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.0 million minutes a day and 1.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Norfolk is 75.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 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 | Norfolk | Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.09 | 6.12 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Norfolk is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Norfolk, VA Health Compared With Nearby Cities
Norfolk, VA is the 2nd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 233,287 residents against a local median of 137,557. Norfolk, VA's uninsured, at 9.1%, runs 30% above the 7.0% typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves sit within 1.6% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Norfolk, VA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Norfolk, VA has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk, VA | 233,287 | 75.2 yrs #3/4 | 9.1% #4/4 | 37.6% #3/4 |
| Portsmouth, VA | 97,157 | 73.1 yrs | 7.4% | 42.5% |
| Hampton, VA | 137,557 | 75.6 yrs | 7.0% | 37.4% |
| Chesapeake, VA | 252,549 | 77.2 yrs | 5.8% | 37.5% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Norfolk, 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 Norfolk, Virginia.
How healthy is Norfolk, Virginia?
Norfolk, 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 average lifespan in Norfolk, Virginia?
People in Norfolk, Virginia can expect to live 75.2 years on average, 2.0 years shorter than the Virginia average of 77.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Norfolk, Virginia?
9.1% of residents in Norfolk, Virginia have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 2.2 points above the Virginia rate of 6.9%.
What is the obesity rate in Norfolk, Virginia?
37.6% of adults in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk, Virginia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 360,944 cigarettes a day, 10.8 million a month, or 131.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.0 million minutes a day and 1.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Norfolk is 75.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 lifetimes a year.
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