Polk ranks 19nd lowest in state for uninsured residents

POLK COUNTY—Polk County is ranked one of the lowest 20 in the state for residents who are uninsured. 

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners recently released its 2019 Map Books, which are statistics for all 100 counties. 

Polk County ranked as 19th lowest in the state for uninsured persons, at 14 percent. 

The lowest county was Wake County, at 11 percent, followed by Cabarrus County, at 12 percent. 

The highest counties in the state for uninsured persons were Duplin County, at 25 percent, followed by Sampson County at 24 percent. 

Buncombe County was ranked lower than Polk County at 14 percent, or the 10th lowest in the state. 

Nearby Rutherford and Henderson Counties were ranked worse than Polk County. Henderson County was ranked 64th lowest in the state, with 17 percent, while Rutherford County was ranked 69t lowest in the state at 17 percent, according to the NCACC. 

The rankings were taken from the 2019 North Carolina County Health Rankings, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. 

Uninsured population refers to the percentage of residents within each county who are under the age of 65 and do not have health insurance. The state average is 16.5 percent in 2019 and the state average in 2018 was 14 percent, according to the NCACC. 

The NCACC’s annual data maps highlight demographic, economic, health and educational information from the state’s 100 counties. The indicators were selected based on research at the county level, recommendations from county officials and staff and timely policy issues.