Health Profile of Thurston County, Washington
Thurston 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
Thurston County Above averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Washington
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.0% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.8% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Thurston County is 79.8 years, about 0.1 years longer than the Washington average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 5.0%, lower than the Washington average of 6.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.8% of residents, lower than the Washington average of 15.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
104,348 residents in Thurston County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 5,529 1,966 men · 3,563 women
- 75–84 13,950 6,122 men · 7,828 women
- 65–74 28,857 13,317 men · 15,540 women
- 50–64 56,013 27,459 men · 28,554 women
Younger residents
61,740 residents in Thurston County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 18,898 10,076 boys · 8,823 girls
- 7–12 18,749 9,673 boys · 9,076 girls
- 3–7 14,101 7,148 boys · 6,954 girls
- 0–3 9,991 5,187 boys · 4,804 girls
About 11,470 residents in Thurston County (3.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Thurston County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.7% | 10.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.6% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.6% | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 30.8% | 32.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Thurston County is about 19% lower than in Washington.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Thurston County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15.1% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 17.3% | 16.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 16.9% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Thurston County is about 17% lower than in Washington.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 358,002 cigarettes a day, 10.7 million a month, or 130.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.9 million minutes a day and 1.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Thurston County is 79.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 34 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 | Thurston County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.87 | 5.25 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Thurston County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Thurston County, WA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Thurston County, WA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 299,046 residents against a local median of 112,357. Where Thurston County, WA breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 20% below the local median of 6.2% at 5.0%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 1.6% on uninsured, so Thurston County, WA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Thurston County, WA has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, WA | 299,046 | 79.8 yrs #1/6 | 5.0% #1/6 | 30.8% #2/6 |
| Mason County, WA | 67,950 | 77.4 yrs | 6.7% | 34.5% |
| Lewis County, WA | 85,146 | 78.3 yrs | 6.3% | 33.1% |
| Pierce County, WA | 929,755 | 78.5 yrs | 5.9% | 33.1% |
| Kitsap County, WA | 276,921 | 79.4 yrs | 5.1% | 30.3% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 112,357 | 77.0 yrs | 6.2% | 38.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Thurston County, Washington has an overall health index grade of A, making it somewhat better than Washington, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Thurston County, Washington.
What is the health grade for Thurston County, Washington?
Thurston County, Washington 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 Thurston County, Washington one of the healthiest counties in Washington?
Thurston County ranks 9th healthiest out of 39 counties in Washington by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Thurston County, Washington?
People in Thurston County, Washington can expect to live 79.8 years on average, about the same as the Washington average of 79.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Thurston County, Washington?
5.0% of residents in Thurston County, Washington have no health insurance, about 1 in 20 people, 1.4 points below the Washington rate of 6.3%.
How common is obesity in Thurston County, Washington?
30.8% of adults in Thurston County, Washington are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.8 points below the Washington rate of 32.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Thurston County, Washington go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 358,002 cigarettes a day, 10.7 million a month, or 130.7 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 3.9 million minutes a day and 1.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Thurston County is 79.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.09 lifetimes a day, or 34 lifetimes a year.
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