Health outcomes and life expectancy can differ greatly among the counties in Florida. Data collected on December 12, 2024, from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, part of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, shows that the average life expectancy in the state is 78.5 years, with many counties significantly lower than this figure.
This report focuses on the 25 counties in Florida with the lowest life expectancy, ranging from Bradford County at 74.6 years to Union County at 67.4 years. For each county, we present its life expectancy, the difference from the state average (in years and months), and the proportion of residents who describe their health as fair to poor.
The noticeable differences in life expectancy highlight serious health inequalities in Florida. For instance, residents of Union County live 11 years and 1 month less than the state average, while even in Bradford County, which has the highest life expectancy on this list, residents live almost 4 years shorter than the state average.
#25. Bradford County
In Bradford County, the average life expectancy is 74.6 years, which is 3 years and 11 months less than the state average. Additionally, 22% of its residents report their health as fair to poor.
#24. Lafayette County
Lafayette County also has a life expectancy of 74.6 years, showing a gap of 3 years and 11 months from the state average. Here, 23% of residents consider their health to be fair or poor.
#23. Bay County
Bay County has a life expectancy of 74.5 years, which is 4 years shorter than the state average, with 16% of residents reporting fair to poor health.
#22. Baker County
Baker County has a life expectancy of 74.4 years, which is 4 years and 1 month lower than the state average. In this region, 18% of residents report their health as fair to poor.
#21. Marion County
In Marion County, residents have a life expectancy of 74.4 years, which is also 4 years and 1 month less than the state average. Here, 18% of the population rates their health as fair to poor.
#20. Calhoun County
Calhoun County reports an average life expectancy of 74.3 years, indicating it falls 4 years and 2 months short of the state average, while 22% of its residents describe their health as fair or poor.
#19. Duval County
In Duval County, the life expectancy is 74.3 years, which is 4 years and 2 months below the state average. About 16% of residents report their health status as fair to poor.
#18. Levy County
Levy County has a life expectancy of 74.2 years, which means it is 4 years and 4 months below the state average. In this county, 20% of residents assess their health as fair to poor.
#17. Dixie County
Dixie County has a life expectancy of 74.1 years, falling short by 4 years and 5 months compared to the state average. Approximately 21% of residents report their health status as fair to poor.
#16. Gadsden County
In Gadsden County, the life expectancy is 74.1 years, which is 4 years and 5 months below the state average, with 23% of its residents indicating fair to poor health.
#15. Gulf County
The average life expectancy in Gulf County is 73.9 years, which is 4 years and 7 months shorter than the state average. In this county, 17% of residents report fair or poor health.
#14. Okeechobee County
Okeechobee County shows a life expectancy of 73.9 years, 4 years and 7 months below the state average, with 21% of residents rating their health as fair to poor.
#13. Suwannee County
Suwannee County has a life expectancy of 73.8 years, which is 4 years and 8 months less than the state average, and 18% of residents report their health status as fair to poor.
#12. Liberty County
Liberty County reports a life expectancy of 73.7 years, which is 4 years and 10 months below the state average. Here, 21% of residents report their health as fair or poor.
#11. Taylor County
Taylor County has an average life expectancy of 73.5 years, falling 5 years below the state average, while 21% of residents view their health as fair to poor.
#10. Citrus County
Citrus County shows a life expectancy of 73.2 years, which is 5 years and 4 months shorter than the state average. In this county, 16% of the residents report fair to poor health.
#9. Columbia County
In Columbia County, the life expectancy is 73.2 years, which is 5 years and 4 months below the state average. About 19% of its residents consider their health status to be fair to poor.
#8. Escambia County
Escambia County reports a life expectancy of 73.1 years, which is 5 years and 5 months shorter than the state average. Around 16% of residents assess their health as fair to poor.
#7. Madison County
Madison County has a life expectancy of 73.0 years, falling 5 years and 6 months below the state average. Approximately 25% of residents report their health as fair or poor.
#6. Hamilton County
Hamilton County has a life expectancy of 72.7 years, which is 5 years and 10 months lower than the state average. In this area, 25% of residents are reported to have fair to poor health.
#5. Jackson County
Jackson County’s life expectancy stands at 72.1 years, which is 6 years and 5 months below the state average. In this region, 21% of the population considers their health to be fair or poor.
#4. Washington County
Washington County has a life expectancy of 71.8 years, which is 6 years and 8 months below the state average. Here, 22% of residents report their health as fair to poor.
#3. Holmes County
Holmes County has a life expectancy of 71.7 years, which means it is 6 years and 10 months shorter than the state average. In this county, 22% of residents report their health as fair to poor.
#2. Putnam County
Putnam County exhibits a life expectancy of 71.5 years, which is 7 years below the state average. In this area, 23% of residents rate their health as fair to poor.
#1. Union County
Union County has a life expectancy of 67.4 years, which is 11 years and 1 month shorter than the state average. In this county, 21% of residents report their health as fair to poor.
