Planning model — not a validated county burden estimate. 7,533 DALYs/yr (primary) from CDC PLACES 2025 prevalence, CDC WONDER 2020–22 × rural adjustment and IHME GBD 2021. → Full methods & data quality notes
Isabella 13,493 DALYs · pop 64,565 Clare 8,198 DALYs · pop 30,013 Midland 14,335 DALYs · pop 82,884
Gratiot 7,533 DALYs · pop 41,368
MecostaQ4 2026
Urban · age-std
not comparable
Washtenaw63,379urban · age-std Wayne442,251urban · age-std

Gratiot County Health Burden Analysis

Population 41,368 · Agricultural rural economy · Planning-grade DALY estimates · June 2026

7,533
DALYs/yr (MI LE 78.6)
Michigan LE 78.6 yrs · YLL 3,246 + YLD 4,287
~10,700
DALYs/yr (Frontier LE 89.1)
Frontier LE 89.1 yrs · Higher YLL under longer standard
296
Est. annual deaths
~716/100k · Above MI avg 783 (rural adj.)
$467M
Economic burden (human capital)
DALYs × $62,000 GDP/capita · VSL: $3.7B
41,368
County population
ACS 2024 · FIPS 26057 · Mid-Michigan agricultural
18,210/100k
DALY rate · crude per 100,000
Age-std ≈ 19,057/100k · 17.2% aged 65+ vs MI 18.0% · for cross-county comparison
Michigan LE 78.6 yrs + MH remission-adjustment. Gratiot County: agricultural economy (corn, sugar beets, soybeans), rural MMDHD service area, median income $63,556.
Jump to: KPIs Charts Economic Burden DALY Table Key Findings Recommendations
~716/100k
Estimated mortality rate per 100k
▲ Above MI avg 783 with rural adjustment · Cancer-driven
83
Cancer deaths/yr (est.) — #1 burden driver
▲ ~201/100k · Elevated vs MI 155/100k · 1,812 DALYs
14.0%
Poverty rate (ACS 2024)
▲ vs MI 13.2% · Agricultural wage workers
36.7%
Adult obesity (CDC PLACES 2025)
▲ vs MI 33% · Physical inactivity 26.3%
7,533
MI LE
|
~10,700
Frontier LE
Estimated DALYs/year · YLL + YLD
CDC PLACES 2025 · Observed county-level data
$64K
Median household income
≈ 88% of MI $72,875 · Per capita $30,221 (low)

DALYs by Condition

Disability-Adjusted Life Years · Michigan LE 78.6 · ranked by burden

Interactive — use LE standard and MH prevalence toggles above to recalculate.

Abbreviations: DALY = disability-adjusted life year · YLL = years of life lost · YLD = years lived with disability · MH = mental health · SUD = substance use · CVD = cardiovascular disease · COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · DM = type-2 diabetes

Comorbidity Co-occurrence — Expected Counts

Expected co-occurrence per 10,000 adults · independence model · Gratiot County n=41,368 · hover cell for DW product & DALY correction

DM+MH highest co-occurrence pair (312 per 10,000 adults). Independence-model planning estimate (prevalence × prevalence × 10,000). Highest DALY-correction pairs: Cancer+MH (−9.8), SUD+MH (−9.0), COPD+MH (−6.8).

Abbreviations: MH = mental health · SUD = substance use · CVD = cardiovascular disease · COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · DM = type-2 diabetes · DW = disability weight · DALY = disability-adjusted life year

One-page county summary

Download the Gratiot County Brief Coming soon

A polished one-page PDF summary for public health leaders, grant writers, and community stakeholders. Includes top burden drivers, planning-grade DALY estimates, and practical implications.
Planning-grade estimate. Not a peer-reviewed study or official GBD estimate.

Social Determinants vs Michigan Average

% of population · CDC PLACES 2025 & ACS 2024 · Gratiot vs Michigan

Economic Burden by Condition

Annual productivity loss · DALYs × $62K GDP per capita (human-capital method)

Cancer (~$112M/yr), SUD (~$99M/yr), and MH (~$99M/yr) are Gratiot's costliest conditions. Each averted DALY ≈ $62,000 recovered productivity — the ROI basis for HRSA, SAMHSA, and MDHHS grant applications. Reactive to the toggles above.

Abbreviations: MH = mental health · SUD = substance use · CVD = cardiovascular disease · COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · DM = type-2 diabetes · DALY = disability-adjusted life year

Economic Burden

Human Capital + Value of Statistical Life approaches · Gratiot County pop. 41,368

🌽 Agricultural economy — corn, sugar beets, soybeans · MMDHD service area

Human Capital Method

$467M
7,533 DALYs × $62,000 GDP/capita
Lost economic productivity from premature death (YLL) and disability (YLD). Reflects Gratiot's agricultural economy where median household income ($63,556) is near the Michigan average but per-capita income ($30,221) is substantially below — indicating income inequality and seasonal wage work.

Value of Statistical Life

$3,657M
296 deaths × $12.4M VSL (income-adjusted)
Willingness-to-pay based VSL. VSL income-adjusted for $63,556 median income (Gratiot). Mortality only — does not capture morbidity burden. Full morbidity burden adds ~$467M. Cancer and CVD are the primary mortality drivers.
Note: Human Capital ($467M) is the conservative floor — it captures productivity losses in measurable terms. VSL ($3.7B) reflects societal willingness-to-pay and is the standard for federal cost-benefit analysis (EPA, DOT, HHS). Cancer dominates economic burden: 1,812 DALYs × $62,000 = ~$112M in HC terms alone. The agricultural economy context means seasonal uninsured workers may be substantially undercounted in prevalence estimates.

Disease Burden Detail

Michigan LE 78.6 yrs · No discounting (WHO standard) · Population 41,368

Condition Prevalence Prevalent Cases Deaths/yr (est.) Mean Age at Death YLL DW YLD DALYs Data Source

Prevalence from CDC PLACES 2025 (BRFSS 2023–24) county-level estimates. Mortality from CDC WONDER 2020–22 3-year pooled × rural adjustment factor. YLL and YLD are planning-grade estimates. * MH YLD uses active disease prevalence (13.5% = 26.9% × 0.50 remission factor) when remission-adjusted mode is selected.

Methodology
Two standards, one county
Both estimates are valid — they answer different questions about burden.
Primary · MI LE 78.6
7,533
Michigan state life expectancy · Local planning standard · YLL 3,246 + YLD 4,287
Cancer #1 · SUD #2 · MH #3
+MH Remission Adj. ×0.50
6,881
Active burden ×0.50 = 13.5% active MH prevalence. Reduces MH YLD 1,303 → 651.
Cancer #1 · CVD #2 · SUD #3
Sensitivity · Frontier LE 89.1
~10,700
WHO GBD frontier LE · Enables cross-county comparison · Higher YLL under longer standard
CVD #1 · Cancer #2 · SUD #3
Note: Prevalence from CDC PLACES 2025 (BRFSS 2023–24), crude county-level estimates. Mortality from CDC WONDER 2020–22 3-year pooled × rural adjustment. No discounting or age-weighting (WHO standard). Disability weights: IHME GBD 2021.

Key Findings

Cancer Leads — 1,812 DALYs/yr · Elevated Mortality Rate

Cancer is Gratiot County's #1 disease burden driver with 1,812 DALYs/yr and an estimated 83 deaths annually. The cancer mortality rate (~201/100k) is substantially elevated above the Michigan state average (155/100k) — among the highest of any county in this analysis set. Agricultural chemical exposure (pesticides, herbicides), proximity to industrial corridors, and rural care access barriers likely contribute. Cancer screening outreach targeting agricultural workers is the highest-priority intervention.

SUD & MH Nearly Tied — #2 and #3 with 1,594 and 1,593 DALYs/yr

Substance use disorders (1,594 DALYs) and mental health conditions (1,593 DALYs) are essentially tied for second and third place. SUD kills at a mean age of 44 — maximizing years of life lost per death. Depression prevalence (26.9%) is above the Michigan average. Rural isolation, agricultural worker stress, and limited mental health infrastructure combine to sustain both burdens. The Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD) covers Gratiot alongside five other counties, limiting capacity per capita.

CVD — 937 DALYs/yr · 114 Estimated Deaths

Cardiovascular disease ranks 4th with 937 DALYs/yr, but accounts for 114 of the 296 estimated deaths — the largest single cause of death. Hypertension prevalence (35.8%) and obesity (36.7%) are the dominant modifiable risk factors. Unlike Clare County, Gratiot does not have the extreme poverty burden, but agricultural workers — often uninsured or on Medicaid — face access barriers to preventive cardiac care and medications.

Agricultural Economy + Correctional Population — Hidden Burden

Gratiot County hosts the Central Michigan Correctional Facility (Carson City), a major state prison. Incarcerated populations are typically excluded from CDC PLACES prevalence estimates (which use household surveys), meaning the true community health burden — especially for SUD, MH, and infectious disease — is likely higher than reported. Agricultural workers, often seasonal or undocumented, similarly face barriers to inclusion in health surveys, especially for uninsured status (8.2% PLACES vs likely higher true prevalence).

Abbreviations: DALY Disability-Adjusted Life Year  ·  YLL Years of Life Lost (premature mortality)  ·  YLD Years Lived with Disability  ·  MH Mental Health Disorders  ·  SUD Substance Use Disorders  ·  CVD Cardiovascular Disease  ·  COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease  ·  DM Diabetes Mellitus Type 2  ·  DW Disability Weight (IHME GBD 2021)  ·  LE Life Expectancy  ·  HC Human Capital  ·  VSL Value of Statistical Life  ·  MMDHD Mid-Michigan District Health Department  ·  CHNA Community Health Needs Assessment

Evidence-Based Recommendations

Prioritized by DALY impact and Gratiot County context · Agricultural economy + MMDHD grant leverage

1
Cancer screening — agricultural worker outreach

Cancer · 1,812 DALYs · 83 deaths/yr · Mobile colorectal, lung, and breast screening programs targeting agricultural workers; bilingual outreach for Spanish-speaking farmworkers; partnership with MMDHD for HRSA Rural Health grant application

Strong
2
SUD harm reduction — naloxone access, MOUD at primary care

SUD · 1,594 DALYs · 24 deaths/yr · Naloxone community distribution, Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) at Gratiot Medical Center and FQHC sites; SAMHSA Rural SUD grant eligible

Strong
3
Mental health telehealth — rural access expansion

MH · 1,593 DALYs · 26.9% depression prevalence · MMDHD telehealth behavioral health program; crisis stabilization unit for rural MH emergencies; MDHHS Community Mental Health partnership for Gratiot County CMH

Strong
4
CVD hypertension control — Medicaid/FQHCs

CVD · 937 DALYs · 35.8% hypertension · Blood pressure control program at FQHC and pharmacy sites; Medicaid-billable heart health screenings for agricultural workers; AHA Rural & Underserved grant eligible

Strong
5
Correctional re-entry health — prison population health continuity

SUD + MH + Infectious Disease · Central Michigan Correctional Facility partnership with MDOC for Medicaid enrollment at release, naloxone kit distribution, MH care coordination — addresses the hidden burden excluded from PLACES estimates

Moderate–Strong

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Data sources — methodology note. Prevalence from CDC PLACES 2025 (BRFSS 2023–24), crude county-level estimates for Gratiot County (FIPS 26057). Mortality from CDC WONDER 2020–22 3-year pooled × rural adjustment. Disability weights from IHME GBD 2021. Methodological uncertainty ±15–20% inherent in the DALY framework. Incarcerated and seasonal agricultural populations are excluded from household survey-based PLACES estimates — true burden likely higher. See Methods → for full data quality notes.