Health Profile of Wood County, West Virginia
Wood 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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C
Wood County Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Wood County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.2% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 21.6% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Wood County is 75.3 years, about 0.8 years shorter than the West Virginia average of 76.1 years. The uninsured rate is 6.2%, higher than the West Virginia average of 6.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 21.6% of residents, lower than the West Virginia average of 23.2%.
Population by Age
Older residents
34,670 residents in Wood County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,860 642 men · 1,218 women
- 75–84 5,463 2,367 men · 3,096 women
- 65–74 9,837 4,640 men · 5,197 women
- 50–64 17,510 8,523 men · 8,987 women
Younger residents
16,517 residents in Wood County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 5,315 2,613 boys · 2,702 girls
- 7–12 4,948 2,469 boys · 2,479 girls
- 3–7 3,612 1,847 boys · 1,764 girls
- 0–3 2,642 1,336 boys · 1,306 girls
About 7,104 residents in Wood County (8.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Wood County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 14.0% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.4% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.8% | 9.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 40.9% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Wood County are about the same as in West Virginia.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Wood County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.7% | 25.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 11.6% | 11.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 29.1% | 31.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Wood County are about the same as in West Virginia.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 156,706 cigarettes a day, 4.7 million a month, or 57.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 629.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wood County is 75.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 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 | Wood County | West Virginia Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.01 | 6.17 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Wood County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Wood County, WV Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Wood County, WV is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 83,389 residents against a local median of 8,286. Nothing separates Wood County, WV 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 uninsured, 9% below the local median at 6.2% against 6.9%. Wood County, WV has the 3rd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County, WV | 83,389 | 75.3 yrs #6/6 | 6.2% #3/6 | 40.9% #4/6 |
| Wirt County, WV | 5,053 | 77.5 yrs | 6.9% | 41.9% |
| Washington County, OH | 58,978 | 76.7 yrs | 6.2% | 37.1% |
| Pleasants County, WV | 7,521 | 76.3 yrs | 10.4% | 38.3% |
| Jackson County, WV | 27,705 | 78.0 yrs | 6.2% | 36.9% |
| Ritchie County, WV | 8,286 | 76.7 yrs | 7.8% | 42.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Wood County, West Virginia has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than West Virginia, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Wood County, West Virginia.
What is the health grade for Wood County, West Virginia?
Wood County, West Virginia has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Wood County, West Virginia one of the healthiest counties in West Virginia?
Wood County ranks 20th healthiest out of 55 counties in West Virginia by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Wood County, West Virginia?
People in Wood County, West Virginia can expect to live 75.3 years on average, 0.8 years shorter than the West Virginia average of 76.1.
What is the uninsured rate in Wood County, West Virginia?
6.2% of residents in Wood County, West Virginia have no health insurance, about 1 in 16 people, about the same as the West Virginia rate of 6.0%.
What is the obesity rate in Wood County, West Virginia?
40.9% of adults in Wood County, West Virginia are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 0.6 points above the West Virginia rate of 40.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Wood County, West Virginia go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 156,706 cigarettes a day, 4.7 million a month, or 57.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.7 million minutes a day and 629.2 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Wood County is 75.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 lifetimes a year.
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