Health Profile of Wisconsin
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin Around averageHealthier than 70% of states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Wisconsin
- Dane County (105% of U.S. avg)
- Waukesha County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Ozaukee County (104% of U.S. avg)
- Menominee County (94% of U.S. avg)
- Clark County (99% of U.S. avg)
- Forest 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 | Wisconsin | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 13.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wisconsin is 79.6 years, about 1.3 years longer than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 5.2%, lower than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 13.2% of residents, lower than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
2,171,315 residents in Wisconsin are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 124,732 45,550 men · 79,182 women
- 75–84 298,571 133,202 men · 165,370 women
- 65–74 562,931 271,562 men · 291,370 women
- 50–64 1,185,080 592,340 men · 592,740 women
Younger residents
1,202,638 residents in Wisconsin are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 388,435 199,865 boys · 188,570 girls
- 7–12 358,178 184,302 boys · 173,876 girls
- 3–7 265,042 136,169 boys · 128,873 girls
- 0–3 190,983 97,757 boys · 93,226 girls
About 262,439 residents in Wisconsin (4.4% 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 | Wisconsin | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 34.9% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Wisconsin are about the same as in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wisconsin | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18.5% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 23.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.7% | 25.1% |
The rate of binge drinking in Wisconsin is about 43% higher than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8.6 million cigarettes a day, 257.6 million a month, or 3.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 94.5 million minutes a day and 34.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wisconsin is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.26 lifetimes a day, or 824 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 | Wisconsin | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.34 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wisconsin is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wisconsin Health Compared With Nearby States
Wisconsin is typical in size for this group, 5,910,864 residents against a local median of 6,845,048, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Wisconsin sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these states turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 6% below the local median at 34.9% against 37.3%. Wisconsin has the 2nd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.
Is Wisconsin a healthy place to live?
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Wisconsin ranks 16th 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 Wisconsin?
People in Wisconsin can expect to live 79.6 years on average, 1.3 years longer than the US average of 78.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Wisconsin?
5.2% of residents in Wisconsin have no health insurance, about 1 in 19 people, 3.1 points below the US rate of 8.4%.
What percentage of Wisconsin residents are obese?
34.9% of adults in Wisconsin are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 0.6 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
Which health problem stands out most in Wisconsin?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, binge drinking stands out most: the adult rate here is 23.6%, about 43% higher than the US rate of 16.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wisconsin go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 8.6 million cigarettes a day, 257.6 million a month, or 3.1 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 94.5 million minutes a day and 34.5 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wisconsin is 79.6 years, that's roughly equivalent to 2.26 lifetimes a day, or 824 lifetimes a year.
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