
Counties with the shortest life expectancy in New York
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 New York. 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. Suffolk County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #10
--- Length of life rank: #13
--- Quality of life rank: #10
#49. Ontario County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #8
--- Length of life rank: #15
--- Quality of life rank: #7
#47. Schoharie County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #36
--- Length of life rank: #42
--- Quality of life rank: #27
#47. Livingston County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #11
--- Length of life rank: #10
--- Quality of life rank: #17
#44. Hamilton County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #29
--- Length of life rank: #32
--- Quality of life rank: #29
#44. Lewis County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #26
--- Length of life rank: #19
--- Quality of life rank: #35
#44. Staten Island
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #18
--- Length of life rank: #14
--- Quality of life rank: #24
#41. Ulster County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #25
--- Length of life rank: #23
--- Quality of life rank: #25
#41. Tioga County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #24
--- Length of life rank: #25
--- Quality of life rank: #22
#41. Essex County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #19
--- Length of life rank: #17
--- Quality of life rank: #18
#40. Otsego County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #21
--- Length of life rank: #26
--- Quality of life rank: #19
#39. Orange County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #14
--- Length of life rank: #20
--- Quality of life rank: #11
#38. Albany County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #22
--- Length of life rank: #24
--- Quality of life rank: #21
#37. Monroe County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #39
--- Length of life rank: #34
--- Quality of life rank: #44
#36. Herkimer County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #31
--- Length of life rank: #29
--- Quality of life rank: #37
#33. Franklin County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #40
--- Length of life rank: #27
--- Quality of life rank: #55
#33. Cayuga County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #33
--- Length of life rank: #37
--- Quality of life rank: #30
#33. Clinton County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #28
--- Length of life rank: #21
--- Quality of life rank: #42
#32. Onondaga County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #32
--- Length of life rank: #33
--- Quality of life rank: #33
#29. Warren County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #27
--- Length of life rank: #35
--- Quality of life rank: #16
#29. Wyoming County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #17
--- Length of life rank: #12
--- Quality of life rank: #26
#29. Schuyler County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #16
--- Length of life rank: #16
--- Quality of life rank: #15
#28. Rensselaer County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #30
--- Length of life rank: #31
--- Quality of life rank: #31
#24. Greene County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #51
--- Length of life rank: #55
--- Quality of life rank: #41
#24. Schenectady County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #44
--- Length of life rank: #38
--- Quality of life rank: #47
#24. Wayne County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #41
--- Length of life rank: #41
--- Quality of life rank: #32
#24. St. Lawrence County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #35
--- Length of life rank: #28
--- Quality of life rank: #46
#23. Washington County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #34
--- Length of life rank: #30
--- Quality of life rank: #43
#22. Steuben County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #37
--- Length of life rank: #36
--- Quality of life rank: #36
#19. Delaware County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #50
--- Length of life rank: #57
--- Quality of life rank: #28
#19. Broome County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #49
--- Length of life rank: #47
--- Quality of life rank: #50
#19. Cortland County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #45
--- Length of life rank: #39
--- Quality of life rank: #54
#17. The Bronx
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #62
--- Length of life rank: #56
--- Quality of life rank: #62
#17. Erie County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #46
--- Length of life rank: #44
--- Quality of life rank: #52
#15. Oswego County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #47
--- Length of life rank: #46
--- Quality of life rank: #38
#15. Allegany County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #43
--- Length of life rank: #40
--- Quality of life rank: #39
#12. Chautauqua County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #55
--- Length of life rank: #51
--- Quality of life rank: #57
#12. Jefferson County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #42
--- Length of life rank: #43
--- Quality of life rank: #34
#12. Genesee County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #38
--- Length of life rank: #48
--- Quality of life rank: #14
#10. Seneca County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #48
--- Length of life rank: #59
--- Quality of life rank: #20
#10. Yates County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #23
--- Length of life rank: #45
--- Quality of life rank: #5
#7. Fulton County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #56
--- Length of life rank: #52
--- Quality of life rank: #58
#7. Orleans County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #54
--- Length of life rank: #49
--- Quality of life rank: #56
#7. Oneida County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #52
--- Length of life rank: #50
--- Quality of life rank: #49
#5. Sullivan County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #61
--- Length of life rank: #62
--- Quality of life rank: #59
#5. Niagara County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #53
--- Length of life rank: #54
--- Quality of life rank: #51
#3. Cattaraugus County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #60
--- Length of life rank: #58
--- Quality of life rank: #60
#3. Montgomery County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #59
--- Length of life rank: #53
--- Quality of life rank: #61
#2. Chenango County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #57
--- Length of life rank: #60
--- Quality of life rank: #48
#1. Chemung County
- Health outcomes statewide rank: #58
--- Length of life rank: #61
--- Quality of life rank: #53