The U.S. Counties Where People Live Longest

"The steady progression of improving health outcome trends came to an end in 2020, however, when average life expectancy at birth fell from 78.8 years to 77.0, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The following year, life expectancy in the U.S. fell again by just over half a year. The National Center for Health Statistics found that the historic year-over-year declines were linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and an uptick in so-called "deaths of despair," including cirrhosis of the liver, accidental overdoses, and suicide."

"Although life expectancy has begun to climb once again, the latest CDC data suggests that an American born today is still not expected to live as long as someone born in the U.S. in 2019. While the pandemic directly and indirectly impacted life expectancy nationwide, an individual's longevity often depends on their lifestyle choices and circumstances. And in many parts of the United States, the prevalence of healthy lifestyles has driven average life expectancies up higher than they have ever been across the country as a whole."

"Using data from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps , a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 24/7 Wall St. identified the U.S. counties where Americans live the longest. Counties or county equivalents are ranked by the local average life expectancy at birth, or the average number of years people born today are expected to live."

Life expectancy in the United States rose for decades but reversed in 2020, falling from 78.8 to 77.0 years, and declined further in 2021. The National Center for Health Statistics attributed those unprecedented year-over-year declines to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased deaths of despair, such as cirrhosis, accidental overdoses, and suicide. Although national life expectancy has begun recovering, someone born today is still not projected to reach 2019 cohort longevity. Individual lifespan remains tied to lifestyle and circumstances, and county-level data reveal areas where healthy behaviors have produced record-high local life expectancies well above national averages.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.