Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Missouri
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 Missouri, 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.
#50. Morgan County
- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average
#48. Polk County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.7 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average
#48. Henry County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.7 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average
#45. Jasper County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average
#45. Buchanan County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average
#45. Gentry County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average
#39. Cedar County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#39. Stoddard County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#39. Ray County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#39. Douglas County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#39. Atchison County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#39. Marion County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
#35. Ozark County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average
#35. Sullivan County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average
#35. Vernon County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average
#35. Caldwell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average
#33. Benton County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average
#33. Lawrence County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average
#32. Pulaski County
- Life expectancy: 74.2 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average
#31. Putnam County
- Life expectancy: 74.0 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average
#30. Phelps County
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 1.9 years lower than the state average
#27. Montgomery County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
#27. Randolph County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
#27. Oregon County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
#24. Reynolds County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.7 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
#24. Texas County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.7 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
#24. Wright County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.7 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
#23. Wayne County
- Life expectancy: 73.6 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
#22. Gasconade County
- Life expectancy: 73.5 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
#21. Scott County
- Life expectancy: 73.3 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average
#20. Madison County
- Life expectancy: 73.2 years
--- 2.6 years lower than the state average
#19. Howell County
- Life expectancy: 73.1 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
#18. Dade County
- Life expectancy: 72.9 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
#17. Laclede County
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
#16. St. Francois County
- Life expectancy: 72.6 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average
#14. St. Louis (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 3.4 years lower than the state average
#14. McDonald County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 3.4 years lower than the state average
#13. Dallas County
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.5 years lower than the state average
#11. Shannon County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
#11. Crawford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
#9. Dent County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
#9. Carter County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
#8. Mississippi County
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
#7. Butler County
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#6. Iron County
- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
#5. Washington County
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#4. New Madrid County
- Life expectancy: 70.5 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
#3. Ripley County
- Life expectancy: 70.0 years
--- 5.8 years lower than the state average
#2. Dunklin County
- Life expectancy: 69.8 years
--- 6.0 years lower than the state average
#1. Pemiscot County
- Life expectancy: 67.4 years
--- 8.4 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.
