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1 / 50#50. Onslow County
- Life expectancy: 75.0 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average
Counties with the shortest life expectancy in North Carolina
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 North Carolina, 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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2 / 50#48. Catawba County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average
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3 / 50#48. Duplin County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average
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4 / 50#45. Graham County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average
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5 / 50#45. Lee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average
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6 / 50#45. Caswell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.8 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average
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7 / 50#44. Craven County
- Life expectancy: 74.7 years
--- 1.9 years lower than the state average
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8 / 50#43. Alexander County
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
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9 / 50#39. Cherokee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
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10 / 50#39. Surry County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
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11 / 50#39. Wilkes County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
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12 / 50#39. Chowan County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.5 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
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13 / 50#35. Warren County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
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14 / 50#35. Stanly County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
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15 / 50#35. Nash County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
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16 / 50#35. Yadkin County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
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17 / 50#30. Pasquotank County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
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18 / 50#30. Sampson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
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19 / 50#30. Davidson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
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20 / 50#30. Pamlico County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
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21 / 50#30. Mitchell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average
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22 / 50#27. Wilson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
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23 / 50#27. Cumberland County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
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24 / 50#27. Jones County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
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25 / 50#25. Hoke County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 2.8 years lower than the state average
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26 / 50#25. Gaston County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.8 years
--- 2.8 years lower than the state average
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27 / 50#24. Randolph County
- Life expectancy: 73.7 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
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28 / 50#22. Rowan County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.6 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
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29 / 50#22. Wayne County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.6 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
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30 / 50#21. Bertie County
- Life expectancy: 73.5 years
--- 3.1 years lower than the state average
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31 / 50#19. Rutherford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.4 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average
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32 / 50#19. Caldwell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 73.4 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average
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33 / 50#18. Hertford County
- Life expectancy: 73.3 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average
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34 / 50#17. Northampton County
- Life expectancy: 73.2 years
--- 3.4 years lower than the state average
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35 / 50#16. Montgomery County
- Life expectancy: 73.1 years
--- 3.5 years lower than the state average
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36 / 50#14. Rockingham County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
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37 / 50#14. Cleveland County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
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38 / 50#13. Martin County
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
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39 / 50#12. Vance County
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
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40 / 50#11. Anson County
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
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41 / 50#9. Lenoir County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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42 / 50#9. Bladen County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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43 / 50#8. Washington County
- Life expectancy: 71.5 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
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44 / 50#6. Edgecombe County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
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45 / 50#6. Halifax County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
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46 / 50#5. Scotland County
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 5.6 years lower than the state average
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47 / 50#4. Columbus County
- Life expectancy: 70.7 years
--- 5.9 years lower than the state average
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48 / 50#3. Richmond County
- Life expectancy: 70.5 years
--- 6.1 years lower than the state average
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49 / 50#1. Robeson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.3 years
--- 7.3 years lower than the state average
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50 / 50#1. Swain County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.3 years
--- 7.3 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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