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1 / 28#28. Sacramento County
- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average
Counties with the shortest life expectancy in California
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 California, 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 / 28#26. Plumas County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average
Matt Gush // Shutterstock
3 / 28#26. Sutter County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average
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4 / 28#24. Madera County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average
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5 / 28#24. Imperial County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average
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6 / 28#23. Kings County
- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 2.6 years lower than the state average
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7 / 28#22. Mendocino County
- Life expectancy: 77.2 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
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8 / 28#20. Inyo County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.0 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
StephanieFarrell // Shutterstock
9 / 28#20. Tuolumne County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.0 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
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10 / 28#19. Merced County
- Life expectancy: 76.9 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
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11 / 28#16. San Joaquin County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 76.6 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average
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12 / 28#16. Fresno County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 76.6 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average
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13 / 28#16. Butte County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 76.6 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average
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14 / 28#15. Lassen County
- Life expectancy: 76.5 years
--- 3.4 years lower than the state average
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15 / 28#14. Humboldt County
- Life expectancy: 76.4 years
--- 3.5 years lower than the state average
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16 / 28#12. Tulare County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 76.2 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average
CL Shebley // Shutterstock
17 / 28#12. Glenn County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 76.2 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average
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18 / 28#11. San Bernardino County
- Life expectancy: 76.1 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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19 / 28#10. Stanislaus County
- Life expectancy: 76.0 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
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20 / 28#9. Modoc County
- Life expectancy: 75.8 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
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21 / 28#8. Yuba County
- Life expectancy: 75.6 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average
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22 / 28#7. Tehama County
- Life expectancy: 75.0 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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23 / 28#5. Shasta County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
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24 / 28#5. Kern County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
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25 / 28#3. Lake County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
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26 / 28#3. Del Norte County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 74.6 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
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27 / 28#2. Siskiyou County
- Life expectancy: 74.3 years
--- 5.6 years lower than the state average
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28 / 28#1. Trinity County
- Life expectancy: 73.9 years
--- 6.0 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.
