Health Profile of Washington
Washington 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
Washington Around averageHealthier than 74% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Washington
- King County (105% of U.S. avg)
- Whitman County (104% of U.S. avg)
- San Juan County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Adams County (98% of U.S. avg)
- Okanogan County (99% of U.S. avg)
- Pacific County (99% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Washington | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 15.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Washington is 79.6 years, about 1.3 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 6.3%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 15.4% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,576,161 residents in Washington are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 139,553 50,955 men · 88,598 women
- 75–84 334,151 148,642 men · 185,509 women
- 65–74 684,593 327,426 men · 357,167 women
- 50–64 1,417,865 715,258 men · 702,607 women
Younger residents
1,652,339 residents in Washington are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 512,090 261,975 boys · 250,115 girls
- 7–12 499,075 256,412 boys · 242,663 girls
- 3–7 373,676 191,932 boys · 181,744 girls
- 0–3 267,498 137,053 boys · 130,445 girls
About 291,654 residents in Washington (3.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Washington | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 10.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 32.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Washington are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Washington | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.4% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Washington is about 19% lower than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 10.1 million cigarettes a day, 302.3 million a month, or 3.7 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 110.8 million minutes a day and 40.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.65 lifetimes a day, or 967 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 | Washington | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.25 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Washington is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Washington Health Compared With Nearby States
Washington is the 2nd largest of the 6 states compared here, 7,801,159 residents against a local median of 3,183,702. The measure that sets Washington apart most is uninsured: 6.3%, 26% below the local median of 8.6%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 5.5% on uninsured, so Washington sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Washington has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 7,801,159 | 79.6 yrs #2/6 | 6.3% #2/6 | 32.6% #4/6 |
| Oregon | 4,252,306 | 78.8 yrs | 5.9% | 30.7% |
| Idaho | 1,929,983 | 79.5 yrs | 9.1% | 34.1% |
| Nevada | 3,183,702 | 78.7 yrs | 11.4% | 32.6% |
| California | 39,245,658 | 79.6 yrs | 6.6% | 30.6% |
| Montana | 1,116,812 | 79.0 yrs | 8.6% | 31.4% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Washington has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Washington.
What is the health grade for Washington?
Washington 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 Washington one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Washington ranks 14th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Washington?
People in Washington can expect to live 79.6 years on average, 1.3 years longer than the US average of 78.3.
How many people lack health insurance in Washington?
6.3% of residents in Washington have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, 2.0 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
What is the obesity rate in Washington?
32.6% of adults in Washington are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.7 points below the US rate of 34.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Washington go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 10.1 million cigarettes a day, 302.3 million a month, or 3.7 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 110.8 million minutes a day and 40.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Washington is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.65 lifetimes a day, or 967 lifetimes a year.
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