Health Profile of Whitman County, Washington
Whitman 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
Whitman County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Washington
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Whitman County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.5% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.5% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Whitman County is 80.8 years, about 1.2 years longer than the Washington average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 5.5%, lower than the Washington average of 6.3%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.5% of residents, lower than the Washington average of 15.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
10,992 residents in Whitman County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 533 188 men · 345 women
- 75–84 1,643 793 men · 850 women
- 65–74 2,984 1,443 men · 1,541 women
- 50–64 5,832 2,946 men · 2,886 women
Younger residents
6,853 residents in Whitman County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,977 1,041 boys · 936 girls
- 7–12 2,070 1,059 boys · 1,010 girls
- 3–7 1,655 840 boys · 815 girls
- 0–3 1,151 574 boys · 577 girls
About 1,040 residents in Whitman County (2.2% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Whitman County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.5% | 10.1% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.4% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.8% | 6.9% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 29.1% | 32.6% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Whitman County is about 35% lower than in Washington. The rate of heart disease in Whitman County is about 30% lower than in Washington. The rate of cancer in Whitman County is about 26% lower than in Washington.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Whitman County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13.8% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 18.6% | 16.2% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 17.9% | 20.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Whitman County is about 16% lower than in Washington.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 54,674 cigarettes a day, 1.6 million a month, or 20.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 601,411 minutes a day and 219.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Whitman County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.17 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 | Whitman County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.09 | 5.25 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.1 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Whitman County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Whitman County, WA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Whitman County, WA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 47,000 residents against a local median of 22,455. Nothing separates Whitman County, WA sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 11% below the local median at 29.1% against 32.7%. Whitman County, WA has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitman County, WA | 47,000 | 80.8 yrs #2/6 | 5.5% #3/6 | 29.1% #2/6 |
| Garfield County, WA | 2,351 | 82.5 yrs | 4.3% | 32.2% |
| Columbia County, WA | 4,012 | 79.0 yrs | 7.8% | 34.0% |
| Spokane County, WA | 548,846 | 77.7 yrs | 5.1% | 33.1% |
| Asotin County, WA | 22,455 | 77.6 yrs | 6.0% | 32.7% |
| Latah County, ID | 41,044 | 80.3 yrs | 8.1% | 27.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Whitman 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 Whitman County, Washington.
Is Whitman County, Washington a healthy place to live?
Whitman 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 Whitman County, Washington one of the healthiest counties in Washington?
Whitman County ranks 2nd 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.
What is the average lifespan in Whitman County, Washington?
People in Whitman County, Washington can expect to live 80.8 years on average, 1.2 years longer than the Washington average of 79.6.
What is the uninsured rate in Whitman County, Washington?
5.5% of residents in Whitman County, Washington have no health insurance, about 1 in 18 people, 0.9 points below the Washington rate of 6.3%.
What is the obesity rate in Whitman County, Washington?
29.1% of adults in Whitman County, Washington are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 3.4 points below the Washington rate of 32.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Whitman County, Washington go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 54,674 cigarettes a day, 1.6 million a month, or 20.0 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 601,411 minutes a day and 219.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Whitman County is 80.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.17 lifetimes a year.
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