Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa

Written by:
July 9, 2024
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Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa

Life expectancy rates have been on the rise in the United States, with an increase of nearly seven years over the past half-century. (The average lifespan was 70.8 in 1970 and was documented as 77.5 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) There are many factors that can contribute to how long you'll live—from genetics to how much you drink or smoke, your diet and weight, and how physically active you are. But then there's the matter of where you live.

In some areas of the globe, dubbed "blue zones," there is a disproportionately high number of residents who live to at least 100 years old. These five particular pockets of the world—Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica, Okinawa, Japan; and Sardinia, Italy—are heavily researched, as scientists try to determine what it is about these residents' diets, lifestyles, and environments that can promote such longevity. While it may not be as obvious of a contributing factor, where you live can play a significant role in your overall lifespan, which is why some states and even counties in the U.S. tend to see longer life expectancy rates compared to others.

By delving into 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Stacker identified the counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa. 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 made the list.

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#45. Calhoun County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- Same as state average

#45. Clay County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- Same as state average

#45. Wright County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- Same as state average

#45. Iowa County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- Same as state average

#43. Jasper County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.2 years
--- 0.1 years higher than the state average

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#43. Howard County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.2 years
--- 0.1 years higher than the state average

#39. Butler County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average

#39. Floyd County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average

#39. Kossuth County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average

#39. Humboldt County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average

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#35. Adams County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average

#35. Sac County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average

#35. Davis County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average

#35. Marion County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average

#33. Chickasaw County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.5 years
--- 0.4 years higher than the state average

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#33. Poweshiek County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.5 years
--- 0.4 years higher than the state average

#32. Carroll County

- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average

#30. Warren County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 0.6 years higher than the state average

#30. Shelby County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 0.6 years higher than the state average

#27. Grundy County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average

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#27. Crawford County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average

#27. Washington County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average

#25. Jefferson County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.9 years
--- 0.8 years higher than the state average

#25. Madison County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.9 years
--- 0.8 years higher than the state average

#23. Audubon County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.0 years
--- 0.9 years higher than the state average

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#23. Worth County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.0 years
--- 0.9 years higher than the state average

#22. Delaware County

- Life expectancy: 79.1 years
--- 1.0 years higher than the state average

#21. Linn County

- Life expectancy: 79.2 years
--- 1.1 years higher than the state average

#20. Dubuque County

- Life expectancy: 79.3 years
--- 1.2 years higher than the state average

#17. Buchanan County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average

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#17. Clayton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average

#17. Guthrie County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average

#16. Mitchell County

- Life expectancy: 79.6 years
--- 1.5 years higher than the state average

#14. Benton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.7 years
--- 1.6 years higher than the state average

#14. Winnebago County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 79.7 years
--- 1.6 years higher than the state average

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#13. Plymouth County

- Life expectancy: 79.8 years
--- 1.7 years higher than the state average

#11. Buena Vista County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 80.0 years
--- 1.9 years higher than the state average

#11. Bremer County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 80.0 years
--- 1.9 years higher than the state average

#9. Cedar County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 80.2 years
--- 2.1 years higher than the state average

#9. Hancock County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 80.2 years
--- 2.1 years higher than the state average

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#8. Jones County

- Life expectancy: 80.5 years
--- 2.4 years higher than the state average

#7. Dickinson County

- Life expectancy: 80.7 years
--- 2.6 years higher than the state average

#6. Story County

- Life expectancy: 81.8 years
--- 3.7 years higher than the state average

#5. Johnson County

- Life expectancy: 82.0 years
--- 3.9 years higher than the state average

#4. Dallas County

- Life expectancy: 82.1 years
--- 4.0 years higher than the state average

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#3. Winneshiek County

- Life expectancy: 82.4 years
--- 4.3 years higher than the state average

#2. Lyon County

- Life expectancy: 82.7 years
--- 4.6 years higher than the state average

#1. Sioux County

- Life expectancy: 83.1 years
--- 5.0 years higher 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 50 states.

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