Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Iowa

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

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 Iowa, 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.

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#50. Page County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.0 years
--- 0.1 years lower than the state average

#48. Mills County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.9 years
--- 0.2 years lower than the state average

#48. Cherokee County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.9 years
--- 0.2 years lower than the state average

#44. Greene County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.8 years
--- 0.3 years lower than the state average

#44. Keokuk County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.8 years
--- 0.3 years lower than the state average

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#44. Boone County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.8 years
--- 0.3 years lower than the state average

#44. Van Buren County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.8 years
--- 0.3 years lower than the state average

#40. Henry County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.4 years lower than the state average

#40. Louisa County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.4 years lower than the state average

#40. Jackson County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.4 years lower than the state average

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#40. Decatur County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.4 years lower than the state average

#38. Polk County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.6 years lower than the state average

#38. Hamilton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.6 years lower than the state average

#35. Pocahontas County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 0.8 years lower than the state average

#35. Hardin County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 0.8 years lower than the state average

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#35. Fayette County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 0.8 years lower than the state average

#34. Osceola County

- Life expectancy: 77.2 years
--- 0.9 years lower than the state average

#31. Clinton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.1 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average

#31. Black Hawk County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.1 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average

#31. Ida County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.1 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average

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#29. Mahaska County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.0 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average

#29. Emmet County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.0 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average

#27. Allamakee County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.9 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average

#27. O'Brien County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.9 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average

#24. Lucas County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

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#24. Muscatine County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

#24. Wayne County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

#23. Taylor County

- Life expectancy: 76.7 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average

#22. Palo Alto County

- Life expectancy: 76.5 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average

#19. Cerro Gordo County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

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#19. Adair County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

#19. Des Moines County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

#18. Tama County

- Life expectancy: 76.3 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average

#17. Union County

- Life expectancy: 76.2 years
--- 1.9 years lower than the state average

#15. Appanoose County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.1 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

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#15. Monroe County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.1 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

#13. Marshall County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.0 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average

#13. Pottawattamie County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 76.0 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average

#10. Franklin County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 75.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

#10. Cass County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 75.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

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#10. Woodbury County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 75.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

#8. Harrison County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 75.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#8. Fremont County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 75.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#7. Ringgold County

- Life expectancy: 75.6 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average

#6. Montgomery County

- Life expectancy: 75.2 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average

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#5. Wapello County

- Life expectancy: 75.0 years
--- 3.1 years lower than the state average

#4. Monona County

- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average

#2. Clarke County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

#2. Webster County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

#1. Lee County

- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 3.6 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.

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