Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Florida
Life expectancy can be affected by a variety of factors. About 25% of your lifespan is determined by genetics, according to the National Library of Medicine. Health and wellness habits—like following a balanced, nutrient-rich diet; not smoking; drinking minimal alcohol; maintaining a healthy weight; and staying physically active—can add more than a decade to your life, research from the National Institutes of Health shows. While these factors are significant, another important element that you might not have considered is your environment and community.
While life expectancy generally increases annually in the United States—jumping from about 70.8 years old to 77.5 between 1970 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—this particular metric can vary from state to state or even county to county. In some parts of the country, the average lifespan is getting shorter based on a variety of risk factors on top of health, including socioeconomic factors like poverty, unemployment, income, and education.
According to a 2020 study from researchers at Penn State, West Virginia, and Michigan State Universities, communities with a higher population density, more fast food restaurants, and a high number of extraction industry-based jobs tend to have shorter life expectancies.
To find out how life expectancy varies within Florida, Stacker used 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute to identify the counties with the shortest life expectancy. 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.
Read on to see if your county is on the list.
#33. Gilchrist County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 75.6 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
#33. Hardee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 75.6 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
#32. Highlands County
- Life expectancy: 75.5 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
#30. Hendry County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 75.4 years
--- 3.1 years lower than the state average
#30. Jefferson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 75.4 years
--- 3.1 years lower than the state average
#29. Volusia County
- Life expectancy: 75.3 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average
#28. Hernando County
- Life expectancy: 75.0 years
--- 3.5 years lower than the state average
#27. Wakulla County
- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 3.6 years lower than the state average
#26. Franklin County
- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average
#24. Bradford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
#24. Lafayette County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
#23. Bay County
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
#21. Marion County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
#21. Baker County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
#19. Calhoun County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
#19. Duval County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
#18. Levy County
- Life expectancy: 74.2 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average
#16. Gadsden County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.1 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#16. Dixie County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.1 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#14. Okeechobee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 4.6 years lower than the state average
#14. Gulf County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 4.6 years lower than the state average
#13. Suwannee County
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
#12. Liberty County
- Life expectancy: 73.7 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#11. Taylor County
- Life expectancy: 73.5 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#9. Citrus County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.2 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
#9. Columbia County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.2 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
#8. Escambia County
- Life expectancy: 73.1 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
#7. Madison County
- Life expectancy: 73.0 years
--- 5.5 years lower than the state average
#6. Hamilton County
- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 5.8 years lower than the state average
#5. Jackson County
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 6.4 years lower than the state average
#4. Washington County
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 6.7 years lower than the state average
#3. Holmes County
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 6.8 years lower than the state average
#2. Putnam County
- Life expectancy: 71.5 years
--- 7.0 years lower than the state average
#1. Union County
- Life expectancy: 67.4 years
--- 11.1 years lower than the state average
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kiersten Hickman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
