"Exploring New York's Counties with the Lowest Life Expectancy"

Counties with the Lowest Life Expectancy in New York

Life expectancy can be influenced by an array of determinants. Approximately 25% of your lifespan is influenced by genetics, as stated by the National Library of Medicine. Health and wellness practices—such as adhering to a balanced, nutrient-dense diet; avoiding smoking; consuming little alcohol; maintaining a healthy weight; and remaining physically active—can extend your life by over a decade, based on research from the National Institutes of Health. While these factors hold significance, an additional crucial aspect you may not have contemplated is your surroundings and community.

Although life expectancy tends to rise each year in the United States—growing from roughly 70.8 years to 77.5 between 1970 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—this specific measurement can differ from state to state or even from county to county. In certain regions of the country, the average lifespan is declining due to a combination of risk factors beyond health, including socioeconomic factors such as poverty, joblessness, income, and educational attainment.

A 2020 study by researchers at Penn State, West Virginia, and Michigan State Universities indicated that regions with denser populations, a greater number of fast food outlets, and a large quantity of jobs in extraction industries typically display shorter life expectancies.

In order to uncover how life expectancy differs throughout New York, Stacker employed the 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute to pinpoint the counties with the lowest life expectancy. Life expectancy gauges the typical number of years from birth that a person is expected to live and is computed based on the number of deaths during a specified timeframe alongside the average number of people at risk of dying within that timeframe. Counties with unreliable or inadequate data were omitted from the analysis. Mortality information was sourced from the National Vital Statistics System.

Continue reading to determine whether your county is included in the list.

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#29. Warren County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 78.1 years
— 1.6 years less than the state average

1864onondagasyracuseLEOP — littlenySTOCK // Shutterstock

#29. Onondaga County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 78.1 years
— 1.6 years less than the state average

1850catskillnyOEJQ — Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#29. Greene County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 78.1 years
— 1.6 years less than the state average

#27. Yates County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 77.9 years
— 1.8 years less than the state average

#27. Wayne County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 77.9 years
— 1.8 years less than the state average

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#26. Franklin County

– Life expectancy: 77.8 years
— 1.9 years less than the state average

#24. Seneca County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 77.7 years
— 2.0 years less than the state average

#24. Schenectady County (tie)

– Life expectancy: 77.7 years
— 2.0 years less than the state average

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