Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Florida
Life expectancy in the United States has generally been on the rise. Between 1960 and 2019, the life expectancy of Americans rose by roughly a decade to the age of 79. Greater longevity can be attributed to improved health care such as diagnostic and medical advancements, as well as healthier lifestyle choices relating to diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
Since 2020, however, life expectancy has started to decline. The opioid epidemic, COVID-19, and unintentional injuries—largely driven by drug overdoses—were the leading causes of a three-year decrease in life expectancy over the last two years. Stark disparities among certain segments of the population have also been observed. American Indians/Alaska Natives saw a life expectancy decrease of more than six years; Hispanic and Black Americans, a drop of four years; and white and Asian Americans, a decrease of about two years.
While no one single factor determines the overall health of an entire community, certain socioeconomic and environmental factors such as access to health care, substance abuse treatments, clean air, clean water, and affordable housing contribute significantly to the general health and wellbeing of the entire population.
Using 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Stacker identified counties with the shortest life expectancy in Florida. Life expectancy measures the average number of years from birth a person can expect to live, and is calculated based on the number of deaths in a given time period and the average number of people at risk of dying during that period. Counties with unreliable or insufficient data were excluded from the analysis. Mortality data came from the National Vital Statistics System.
#49. Osceola County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #12
--- Length of life rank: #7
--- Quality of life rank: #25
#46. Hardee County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #39
--- Length of life rank: #27
--- Quality of life rank: #50
#46. Flagler County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #22
--- Length of life rank: #23
--- Quality of life rank: #20
#46. Hillsborough County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #11
--- Length of life rank: #9
--- Quality of life rank: #21
#45. Pinellas County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #21
--- Length of life rank: #29
--- Quality of life rank: #13
#44. Leon County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #20
--- Length of life rank: #12
--- Quality of life rank: #33
#42. Alachua County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #27
--- Length of life rank: #13
--- Quality of life rank: #38
#42. Lake County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #26
--- Length of life rank: #25
--- Quality of life rank: #26
#41. Walton County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #19
--- Length of life rank: #22
--- Quality of life rank: #17
#40. Polk County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #32
--- Length of life rank: #26
--- Quality of life rank: #35
#39. Highlands County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #49
--- Length of life rank: #54
--- Quality of life rank: #41
#38. Hendry County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #44
--- Length of life rank: #35
--- Quality of life rank: #55
#37. Nassau County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #25
--- Length of life rank: #36
--- Quality of life rank: #12
#36. Clay County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #18
--- Length of life rank: #21
--- Quality of life rank: #18
#33. Pasco County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #31
--- Length of life rank: #39
--- Quality of life rank: #23
#33. Brevard County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #28
--- Length of life rank: #41
--- Quality of life rank: #11
#33. Okaloosa County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #17
--- Length of life rank: #24
--- Quality of life rank: #8
#32. Santa Rosa County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #15
--- Length of life rank: #17
--- Quality of life rank: #10
#31. Gilchrist County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #42
--- Length of life rank: #38
--- Quality of life rank: #49
#28. Jefferson County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #53
--- Length of life rank: #44
--- Quality of life rank: #59
#28. Franklin County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #37
--- Length of life rank: #33
--- Quality of life rank: #43
#28. Hernando County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #33
--- Length of life rank: #40
--- Quality of life rank: #34
#27. Volusia County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #36
--- Length of life rank: #45
--- Quality of life rank: #31
#26. Lafayette County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #40
--- Length of life rank: #34
--- Quality of life rank: #46
#24. Bay County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #38
--- Length of life rank: #47
--- Quality of life rank: #29
#24. Wakulla County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #30
--- Length of life rank: #32
--- Quality of life rank: #30
#23. Okeechobee County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #48
--- Length of life rank: #58
--- Quality of life rank: #39
#22. Liberty County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #34
--- Length of life rank: #31
--- Quality of life rank: #42
#20. Marion County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #51
--- Length of life rank: #60
--- Quality of life rank: #40
#20. Suwannee County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #46
--- Length of life rank: #43
--- Quality of life rank: #47
#16. Gadsden County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #64
--- Length of life rank: #56
--- Quality of life rank: #65
#16. Bradford County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #56
--- Length of life rank: #48
--- Quality of life rank: #62
#16. Baker County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #47
--- Length of life rank: #42
--- Quality of life rank: #48
#16. Duval County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #45
--- Length of life rank: #50
--- Quality of life rank: #37
#13. Hamilton County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #62
--- Length of life rank: #46
--- Quality of life rank: #66
#13. Levy County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #54
--- Length of life rank: #51
--- Quality of life rank: #57
#13. Calhoun County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #35
--- Length of life rank: #28
--- Quality of life rank: #45
#12. Dixie County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #63
--- Length of life rank: #62
--- Quality of life rank: #63
#10. Columbia County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #55
--- Length of life rank: #53
--- Quality of life rank: #56
#10. Gulf County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #43
--- Length of life rank: #61
--- Quality of life rank: #19
#8. Citrus County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #57
--- Length of life rank: #65
--- Quality of life rank: #36
#8. Escambia County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #50
--- Length of life rank: #52
--- Quality of life rank: #44
#7. Taylor County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #59
--- Length of life rank: #55
--- Quality of life rank: #61
#6. Madison County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #65
--- Length of life rank: #57
--- Quality of life rank: #67
#5. Putnam County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #66
--- Length of life rank: #66
--- Quality of life rank: #64
#4. Jackson County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #61
--- Length of life rank: #64
--- Quality of life rank: #52
#3. Washington County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #58
--- Length of life rank: #59
--- Quality of life rank: #58
#2. Holmes County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #60
--- Length of life rank: #63
--- Quality of life rank: #53
#1. Union County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #67
--- Length of life rank: #67
--- Quality of life rank: #60