County health profile · Texas
Washington County
Verified county health data, each value with its year, adjustment and uncertainty, placed among Texas’s 254 counties.
- County FIPS code
- 48477
- Population, 2020 Census
- 35,805
- Rural-urban classification (USDA ERS, 2023)
- Code 6. Nonmetropolitan: urban population of 5,000 to 20,000, adjacent to a metro area
Where Washington County sits
Pick a measure to see Washington County against every Texas county.
Washington County · Deaths 2022–2024
274.1 per 100,000
Heart disease mortality
- Median Texas county
- 402.1 per 100,000
- Range across counties
- 205.3–808.0
- Counties with a value
- 253 of 254
The median county is a middle value of county estimates, not a statewide rate. Intervals and adjustment for each measure are in the sections below.
Cardiovascular health
Adults who report being told they have a heart or blood-vessel condition, and the observed heart disease death rate.
Coronary heart disease among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told by a health professional that they had angina or coronary heart disease.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
7.2%
95% CI 6.2% to 8.2%
Age-adjusted
5.2%
95% CI 4.5% to 6.0%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
Stroke among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told by a health professional that they had a stroke.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
3.8%
95% CI 3.4% to 4.4%
Age-adjusted
3.0%
95% CI 2.6% to 3.3%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
High blood pressure among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report being told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
38.5%
95% CI 34.5% to 43.1%
Age-adjusted
32.9%
95% CI 29.1% to 37.4%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
Heart disease death rate, adults 35+ (age-standardized)
Deaths among adults aged 35+ with heart disease as the underlying cause, per 100,000 adults 35+, age-standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population, averaged over 2022–2024 and spatially smoothed by CDC.
Observed (vital records)Deaths 2022–2024
Age-adjusted
274.1per 100,000
Among Texas counties
Below the median Texas county
Behavioral risk factors
Behaviours and body-weight measures CDC links with heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Current cigarette smoking among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke every day or some days.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
12.1%
95% CI 9.8% to 14.6%
Age-adjusted
13.0%
95% CI 10.4% to 15.9%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
No leisure-time physical activity among adults
Adults aged 18+ who answer “No” when asked whether, in the past month, other than their regular job, they took part in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening or walking for exercise.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
26.5%
95% CI 21.6% to 31.9%
Age-adjusted
25.2%
95% CI 20.9% to 30.5%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
Obesity among adults
Adults aged 18+ with body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m², based on self-reported height and weight.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
35.7%
95% CI 27.9% to 45.0%
Age-adjusted
37.0%
95% CI 29.1% to 46.6%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
Other chronic conditions
Self-reported diagnoses and health status among adults.
Diagnosed diabetes among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report being told by a health professional that they have diabetes (excluding pregnancy-related).
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude and age-adjusted
Crude
13.2%
95% CI 11.4% to 15.3%
Age-adjusted
10.7%
95% CI 9.2% to 12.4%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county (age-adjusted)
Current asthma among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told they had asthma and still have asthma.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude
Crude
10.0%
95% CI 8.9% to 11.5%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told they had COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude
Crude
7.1%
95% CI 5.8% to 8.5%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Cancer history (non-skin cancer or melanoma) among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told they had cancer (non-skin) or melanoma. Measures history of diagnosis, not new cases.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude
Crude
9.0%
95% CI 8.1% to 10.1%
Among Texas counties
Above the median Texas county
Depression among adults
Adults aged 18+ who report ever being told they have a depressive disorder.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude
Crude
21.7%
95% CI 18.6% to 25.7%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Frequent mental distress among adults
Adults aged 18+ reporting 14 or more days of poor mental health in the past 30 days.
Modeled estimateBRFSS 2023Crude
Crude
16.4%
95% CI 14.4% to 18.7%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
New cancer cases
Observed cancer incidence from the Texas Cancer Registry, age-adjusted.
Cancer incidence, all sites (age-adjusted)
New invasive cancer cases of any site per 100,000 people per year, 2019–2023 average, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Observed (registry cases)Diagnoses 2019–2023
Age-adjusted
458.8per 100,000
95% CI 431.8 to 487.1
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Texas, published statewide rate: 434.2 per 100,000
Lung and bronchus cancer incidence (age-adjusted)
New invasive lung and bronchus cancer cases per 100,000 people per year, 2019–2023 average, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Observed (registry cases)Diagnoses 2019–2023
Age-adjusted
46.1per 100,000
95% CI 38.5 to 55.0
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Texas, published statewide rate: 44.3 per 100,000
Colorectal cancer incidence (age-adjusted)
New invasive colon and rectum cancer cases per 100,000 people per year, 2019–2023 average, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Observed (registry cases)Diagnoses 2019–2023
Age-adjusted
44.5per 100,000
95% CI 36.3 to 54.2
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Texas, published statewide rate: 38.6 per 100,000
Female breast cancer incidence (age-adjusted)
New invasive breast cancer cases among females per 100,000 females per year, 2019–2023 average, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Observed (registry cases)Diagnoses 2019–2023
Age-adjusted
129.8per 100,000
95% CI 108.6 to 154.1
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Texas, published statewide rate: 125.8 per 100,000
Prostate cancer incidence (age-adjusted)
New invasive prostate cancer cases among males per 100,000 males per year, 2019–2023 average, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Observed (registry cases)Diagnoses 2019–2023
Age-adjusted
112.0per 100,000
95% CI 95.0 to 131.6
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Texas, published statewide rate: 111.7 per 100,000
Social and access context
Measures that describe conditions around health, not health itself.
Persons below the federal poverty level
Share of people for whom poverty status is determined whose income is below the federal poverty threshold.
Survey estimate2020–2024 (pooled)
Value
13.4%
90% margin of error 11.4% to 15.4%
Among Texas counties
Not distinguishable from the median county
Primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation
How much of the county HRSA has designated as a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area: the whole county as a geographic area, the whole county for a population group (such as low-income residents), part of the county (census tracts or county subdivisions), or none.
Administrative designationDesignation status on 2026-10-18
Designation
Whole county — population group
A designation category, so it is not placed on a scale.
Research connections
Vellora’s report Geographic Variation in Cardiovascular Health Across Texas Counties studied patterns across all Texas counties. One finding: nonmetropolitan counties had higher median values than metropolitan counties on 8 of 8 cardiovascular measures, including a median heart disease death rate of 415.1 against 361.2 per 100,000.
Washington County is nonmetropolitan (RUCC 6). That finding describes groups of counties, not this county, and county-level associations do not show causes or any individual’s risk. The report is an independent analysis and has not been peer reviewed.
Read the findingsLimitationsExplore risk-factor relationships
Crude and age-adjusted
Crude prevalence is the share of all adults. Age-adjusted prevalence estimates the share under a standard age distribution, so counties with older or younger populations can be compared. They answer different questions and must not be compared with each other. Placement among counties uses age-adjusted values where CDC publishes them.
Sources and methods
PLACES 2025 release
CDC PLACES county data, 2025 release (data.cdc.gov swc5-untb)
BRFSS 2023 · Census Bureau 2023 county population estimates; ACS 2019–2023 or 2018–2022
Source dataset2022–2024 (3-year average)
CDC heart disease mortality county data, 2022–2024 (data.cdc.gov mri7-5jtw)
Deaths 2022–2024 · Adults aged 35+; age-standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population
Source dataset2019–2023 (5-year average)
State Cancer Profiles incidence, 2019–2023 (Texas Cancer Registry, SEER November 2025 submission)
Diagnoses 2019–2023 · Census populations as modified by NCI (SEER population data); age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard
Source datasetACS 2020–2024 (5-year)
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year Summary File, table B17001
2020–2024 (pooled) · People for whom poverty status is determined
Source datasetDesignations as of 18 Oct 2026
HRSA Data Warehouse, HPSA – Primary Care: All HPSAs (BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC), daily snapshot of 2026-10-18
Designation status on 2026-10-18 · Areas and population groups designated by HRSA (not a population count)
Source dataset
- CDC PLACES values are model-based estimates from a national survey, not counts; CDC advises considering their confidence intervals and not ranking counties or tracking change over time.
- The heart disease death rate covers adults 35 and over, is age-standardized and is spatially smoothed by CDC; no interval is published.
- Only cancer incidence has a published statewide rate with the same definition, so it is the only measure compared with Texas as a whole.
- A county is described as above or below the median county only when its whole interval is clear of the median; point estimates alone are never used to claim a difference.
MethodologyGlossaryCompare Washington CountyWashington County report (PDF, 154 KB)Printable HTML version
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (data: National Vital Statistics System); Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Cancer Registry; published by the National Cancer Institute and CDC (State Cancer Profiles, SEER submission); U.S. Census Bureau; Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Workforce, Division of Policy and Shortage Designation.