**U.S. Counties with Shortest Life Expectancy**
– Oglala Lakota County (Shannon County), South Dakota: 66.81 years in 2014, 61.25 years in 1980, Native American population: 92.9%
– Union County, Florida: 67.57 years in 2014, 65.84 years in 1980, Non-Hispanic White population: 70.7%, Large prison population
– Todd County, South Dakota: 68.52 years in 2014, 63.62 years in 1980, Native American population: 86.5%
– Sioux County, North Dakota: 68.59 years in 2014, 66.01 years in 1980, Native American population: 82.0%
– Buffalo County, South Dakota: 69.05 years in 2014, 64.49 years in 1980, Native American population: 79.4%
**Factors Affecting Life Expectancy**
– Study in 2016 found income significantly impacts life expectancy disparities.
– The richest 1% of men lived 15 years longer than the poorest 1% in the U.S.
– The richest 1% of women lived 10 years longer than the poorest 1% in the U.S.
– Life expectancy disparities exist across states, counties, races, and regions in the U.S.
**Geographic and Demographic Trends**
– Kentucky has 14 counties with the shortest life expectancy.
– Mississippi has 8 counties on the list, mainly in the Mississippi Delta.
– Alabama and South Dakota each have 5 counties with low life expectancy.
– West Virginia has 3 counties on the list, historically coal-dependent.
– Majority populations in these counties are often non-Hispanic whites or African Americans.
**Declining Life Expectancy Trends**
– 10 counties on the list experienced declining life expectancy from 1980 to 2014.
– Most of these counties have majority non-Hispanic white populations.
– Factors contributing to declining life expectancy include high rates of smoking, obesity, and poverty.
– Some counties have high rates of drug abuse and low physical activity levels.
**Widening Gap in Life Expectancy**
– Summit County, Colorado residents have an average life expectancy of 86.83 years.
– Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota residents have an average life expectancy of 66.81 years.
– The gap between longest and shortest life expectancy counties is widening.
– Life expectancy in the U.S. increased by over 5 years from 1980 to 2014.
– Longest-lived counties matched or exceeded this increase, while shortest-lived counties saw minimal increases or decreases in life expectancy.
This list of U.S. counties with shortest life expectancy includes 50 counties, or county equivalents, out of a grand total of 3,142 counties or county equivalents in the United States. With the exception of one city (Baltimore), the counties with shortest life expectancy at birth have a largely rural population. The counties listed include 24 with a population consisting of more than 50 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 18 with a population consisting of more than 50 percent of African-Americans, and 8 with a population consisting of more than 50 percent of Native Americans
The U.S. states represented on the list are Kentucky (14 counties); Mississippi (8 counties); Alabama and South Dakota (5 counties each); Arkansas, Louisiana, and West Virginia (three counties each); Missouri (2 counties), and Alaska, Florida, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Tennessee (one county each).
The 14 counties in Kentucky on the list are located in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield, a region with an economy formerly dominated by coal mining. The three counties in West Virginia on the list also have economies formerly dominated by coal. The population of these counties consists largely of non-Hispanic whites.
The 8 counties on the list in Mississippi are located mostly in the Mississippi Delta, a region heavily populated by African Americans.