Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
1 / 40#39. Yazoo County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 0.7 years lower than the state average
Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Mississippi
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 Mississippi, 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.
You may also like: Counties with the coldest winters in Mississippi
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
2 / 40#39. Attala County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 0.7 years lower than the state average
Canva
3 / 40#37. Simpson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 0.8 years lower than the state average
Canva
4 / 40#37. Panola County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 0.8 years lower than the state average
Canva
5 / 40#35. Lauderdale County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 0.9 years lower than the state average
You may also like: The Brine Boom: Pickles are popping off in grocery aisles in Mississippi
Canva
6 / 40#35. Benton County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 0.9 years lower than the state average
Canva
7 / 40#33. Stone County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.5 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average
Norm Lane // Shutterstock
8 / 40#33. Lincoln County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.5 years
--- 1.0 years lower than the state average
Canva
9 / 40#31. Lawrence County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average
Canva
10 / 40#31. Tallahatchie County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Baldest states: See how Mississippi ranks for hair-loss medication prescriptions
George Dodd III // Shutterstock
11 / 40#30. Pearl River County
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
12 / 40#29. Calhoun County
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average
Canva
13 / 40#28. Noxubee County
- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average
Canva
14 / 40#27. Perry County
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average
Canva
15 / 40#25. George County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.9 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Counties in Mississippi with the most car repair shops
Canva
16 / 40#25. Jasper County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.9 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average
Canva
17 / 40#24. Tishomingo County
- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average
Canva
18 / 40#22. Marshall County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.5 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
19 / 40#22. Newton County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.5 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average
Canva
20 / 40#21. Webster County
- Life expectancy: 70.4 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Highest-rated scenic drives in Mississippi by visitors
Canva
21 / 40#19. Marion County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.3 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
Canva
22 / 40#19. Pike County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.3 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average
Canva
23 / 40#17. Wilkinson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.0 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average
Canva
24 / 40#17. Jefferson Davis County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.0 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average
Canva
25 / 40#16. Yalobusha County
- Life expectancy: 69.9 years
--- 2.6 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Highest-rated museums in Mississippi by visitors
Canva
26 / 40#15. Montgomery County
- Life expectancy: 69.8 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average
Canva
27 / 40#14. Claiborne County
- Life expectancy: 69.6 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average
Canva
28 / 40#12. Covington County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.5 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
Canva
29 / 40#12. Grenada County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.5 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average
Canva
30 / 40#11. Sharkey County
- Life expectancy: 68.5 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Mississippi
TLF Images // Shutterstock
31 / 40#10. Bolivar County
- Life expectancy: 68.1 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
Canva
32 / 40#9. Sunflower County
- Life expectancy: 67.7 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
Canva
33 / 40#8. Washington County
- Life expectancy: 67.4 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
34 / 40#6. Holmes County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 67.2 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
Canva
35 / 40#6. Humphreys County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 67.2 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
You may also like: Counties with the oldest homes in Mississippi
Canva
36 / 40#5. Leflore County
- Life expectancy: 67.1 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
37 / 40#4. Quitman County
- Life expectancy: 67.0 years
--- 5.5 years lower than the state average
Canva
38 / 40#3. Neshoba County
- Life expectancy: 66.9 years
--- 5.6 years lower than the state average
Canva
39 / 40#2. Coahoma County
- Life expectancy: 66.2 years
--- 6.3 years lower than the state average
Canva
40 / 40#1. Tunica County
- Life expectancy: 65.4 years
--- 7.1 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.
You may also like: The 20 most competitive housing markets in Mississippi
