Petersburg city Health Data
Petersburg city, Virginia
Health Score
28/100
Below Avg
Life Expectancy
64.3 yr
Uninsured Rate
7.5%
Health Statistics
Life Expectancy
64.3 yr
State avg 75.1 yr
National avg 77.5 yr
Uninsured Rate
7.5%
State avg 7.9%
National avg 9%
Primary Care Providers
66
per 100K population
National avg 82
Mental Health Providers
597
per 100K population
National avg 350
Data Story
About Health in Petersburg city, Virginia
Petersburg faces acute health crisis
At 64.3 years, Petersburg's life expectancy is the lowest in Virginia and among America's most challenged regions—11.2 years below the U.S. average of 76.4 years. Nearly 1 in 4 residents (24.1%) reports poor or fair health, nearly double the national average. This gap represents one of the nation's starkest public health emergencies.
Virginia's lowest life expectancy
Petersburg ranks dead last in Virginia for life expectancy at 64.3 years, a devastating 10.8-year gap behind the state average of 75.1 years. Only Norton city (65.0) comes close to this crisis level among Virginia jurisdictions. Petersburg demands emergency-level public health investment and policy intervention.
Profound disparity from regional peers
Petersburg's 64.3-year life expectancy is 8.0 years below Orange County (75.2) and 8.6 years below nearby Chesterfield and Henrico—some of Virginia's healthiest regions just miles away. The city's 24.1% poor/fair health rate stands among the nation's worst, far exceeding any rural county in this profile. This urban-rural disparity masks a crisis of inequality in the Petersburg metro area.
Mental health resources hide access crisis
Petersburg's 7.5% uninsured rate—better than the state average of 7.9%—shows insurance coverage alone doesn't explain the health crisis. Though the city has 597 mental health providers per 100,000 residents (among the highest in Virginia), just 66 primary care providers per 100,000 residents means many lack a consistent medical home. Structural factors beyond provider count—poverty, housing instability, environmental hazards—drive the catastrophic health outcomes.
Coverage is essential, but not sufficient
Petersburg's strong insurance enrollment (7.5% uninsured) shows the community values coverage, yet life expectancy remains in crisis. Visit healthcare.gov or the Virginia Department of Social Services to ensure you have continuous Medicaid or marketplace coverage. But coverage alone cannot solve Petersburg's health emergency; systemic investments in poverty reduction, primary care, and environmental health are equally urgent.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Health data sourced from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Data is informational only. Not medical or health advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.