Health Profile of Dane County, Wisconsin
Dane 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
Dane County Above averageHealthiest county in Wisconsin
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Dane County | Wisconsin Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 3.6% | 5.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.1% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Dane County is 80.6 years, about 1.0 years longer than the Wisconsin average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 3.6%, lower than the Wisconsin average of 5.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 9.1% of residents, lower than the Wisconsin average of 13.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
170,193 residents in Dane County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 9,542 3,184 men · 6,358 women
- 75–84 21,121 9,039 men · 12,082 women
- 65–74 43,054 20,381 men · 22,673 women
- 50–64 96,477 47,891 men · 48,586 women
Younger residents
109,157 residents in Dane County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 34,816 17,845 boys · 16,971 girls
- 7–12 32,407 16,984 boys · 15,423 girls
- 3–7 24,130 12,648 boys · 11,482 girls
- 0–3 17,804 9,186 boys · 8,618 girls
About 17,456 residents in Dane County (3.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.6 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Dane County | Wisconsin Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.8% | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.7% | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.2% | 6.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 24.5% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Dane County is about 38% lower than in Wisconsin. The rate of diabetes in Dane County is about 31% lower than in Wisconsin. The rate of obesity in Dane County is about 30% lower than in Wisconsin.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Dane County | Wisconsin Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12.8% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 25.3% | 23.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 15.5% | 21.7% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Dane County is about 31% lower than in Wisconsin. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Dane County is about 28% lower than in Wisconsin.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 589,655 cigarettes a day, 17.7 million a month, or 215.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.5 million minutes a day and 2.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dane County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 56 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 | Dane County | Wisconsin Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.65 | 6.34 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.6 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Dane County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Dane County, WI Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Dane County, WI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 572,416 residents against a local median of 66,009. Where Dane County, WI breaks from the counties next to it is obesity, sitting 31% below the local median of 35.6% at 24.5%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Uninsured tells the same story from another angle: 3.6% against a local median of 5.0%, 28% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Dane County, WI is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within 2.5% of each other on obesity, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Dane County, WI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Dane County, WI has the lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County, WI | 572,416 | 80.6 yrs #1/6 | 3.6% #1/6 | 24.5% #1/6 |
| Columbia County, WI | 58,269 | 80.2 yrs | 5.0% | 34.8% |
| Green County, WI | 37,017 | 79.7 yrs | 3.8% | 35.6% |
| Rock County, WI | 164,349 | 77.9 yrs | 5.5% | 35.9% |
| Sauk County, WI | 66,009 | 80.0 yrs | 6.0% | 33.8% |
| Jefferson County, WI | 86,001 | 80.5 yrs | 4.8% | 36.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Dane County, Wisconsin has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than Wisconsin, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Dane County, Wisconsin.
What is the health grade for Dane County, Wisconsin?
Dane County, Wisconsin 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 Dane County, Wisconsin one of the healthiest counties in Wisconsin?
Yes. Dane County ranks 1st of 72 counties in Wisconsin by the Map AI Health Index, making it the healthiest of them all.
What is the average lifespan in Dane County, Wisconsin?
People in Dane County, Wisconsin can expect to live 80.6 years on average, 1.0 years longer than the Wisconsin average of 79.6.
What percentage of Dane County, Wisconsin residents are uninsured?
3.6% of residents in Dane County, Wisconsin have no health insurance, about 1 in 28 people, 1.6 points below the Wisconsin rate of 5.2%.
What is the obesity rate in Dane County, Wisconsin?
24.5% of adults in Dane County, Wisconsin are classified as obese, about 1 in 4, 10.5 points below the Wisconsin rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Dane County, Wisconsin go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 589,655 cigarettes a day, 17.7 million a month, or 215.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 6.5 million minutes a day and 2.4 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Dane County is 80.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.15 lifetimes a day, or 56 lifetimes a year.
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