Life in the USA isn't equal opportunity for everyone. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at life expectancy for each US county from 1980 through 2014.  During that time life expectancy at birth increased by 6.7 years for men and 4.0 years for women.  CNN reports the average life span for me is 76.7 years and 81.5 years for women.

Those numbers don't hold up everywhere with some regions experiencing significant differences. Researchers found that the counties with lowest life expectancy are located in surrounding Indian reservations in

North & South Dakota and along the lower half of Mississippi in eastern Kentucky, and southwestern West Virginia.

At the other extreme, residents of counties in central Colorado can expect to live longest. Summit County, Colorado, has the highest life expectancy at 86.8 years.

Life expectancy can differ by as much as 20 years based on risk factors like obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.

Socioeconomic factors and access to and the quality of health care also contribute.

 

 

 

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