What makes a long life?
Look to your ZIP Code.
We all deserve long lives.
But unfortunately, where you live may affect your chances of living a long, healthy life. Different neighborhoods may have different access to stable housing, quality schools, good jobs, and affordable healthcare. Medical history is important, but much of health begins at home.
This page will help you learn more about life expectancy, how it impacts you and your neighborhood, and what you can do about it.
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Discover
Find out what the average life expectancy is in your area.
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Compare
Look at where you and your neighbors stand compared to county, state, and national averages.
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Learn
Educate yourself on the specific factors that influence life expectancy.
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Take Action
See how you can help promote health across the country.
What determines life expectancy?
Change starts with understanding your community. Check out these articles to start learning how your neighbors can live longer, healthier lives.
New Data Provides a Deeper Understanding of Life Expectancy Gaps
While there's no one-size-fits-all path to health and opportunity, measuring health is a good step for any community.
The Power of Local Data in Action
@CityHealthData shares lessons learned to help local leaders close health gaps in cities across the U.S.
Why Neighborhoods—and the Policies That Shape Them—Matter
How does where you grow up affect your opportunity for a healhtier life?
What actually impacts life expectancy?
When we talk about the opportunity to live a long life, there are a lot of factors at play: we call these social determinants of health. In short, these are conditions relating to where people live and work, such as economic status; access to education, employment, and housing; quality healthcare; and food insecurity, among many others. Health starts at home, at school, and at work—sometimes long before any illness appears.
One in five Americans live in neighborhoods with high rates of crime, pollution, inadequate housing, lack of jobs, and limited access to nutritious food. Here are a few ways in which social determinants of health affect these communities:
- Life expectancies in urban areas are generally higher than in rural areas.
- Infant mortality among Black infants was more than 2.3 times higher than the mortality rate of white infants based on information gathered in 2015.
- Heart disease is 55% more prevalent in unemployed adults compared to employed adults.
Read on to learn more about these factors.
Dive deeper into the social determinants of health.
Steady employment allows people to afford nutritious food, healthcare, and stable housing. Quality jobs also provide their employees with good insurance and paid time off to seek medical care.
Affordable housing opportunities allow families to move less and engrain themselves within their communities. Children with stable housing also are less likely to suffer from health issues.
Smaller classes and engaged, well-trained teachers help prepare children for higher education and more opportunities.
Minorities and those with a low income are more likely to live in neighborhoods with violence, polluted air and water, and other health risks.
People living in poverty or in unsafe neighborhoods can sometimes lack social support from family and friends. Providing them with the social support they need can help positively impact health and wellbeing.
Even if healthcare exists within a neighborhood, lack of public transportation and adequate staffing may affect one's ability to actually receive care.
How you can help
Neighbors:
Conversations can lead to change. Talk about what your neighborhood’s health looks like with your peers—either in person or on social media.
Media & Journalists:
Awareness is critical to advocacy. Shed light on and call attention to life expectancy disparities in the areas you care about.
Policymakers:
Policy change impacts people and communities. Develop a deeper understanding of the areas you represent to prioritize support for the ones that are disadvantaged.
Public Health & Community Officials:
Assessments lead to more impactful investments. Gain insight into the areas that need more focused planning efforts.
Researchers:
Make a difference in the areas that need it. Directing research efforts to areas that face greater discrepancies in life expectancy can influence change.