Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Washington

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 Washington, 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: How Washington's unbanked population compares to the rest of the US

Victoria Ditkovsky // Shutterstock

1 / 20

#19. Benton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.6 years lower than the state average

Canva

2 / 20

#19. Clark County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.6 years lower than the state average

Canva

3 / 20

#18. Stevens County

- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 1.1 years lower than the state average

Canva

4 / 20

#16. Pierce County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

Arpad Jasko // Shutterstock

5 / 20

#16. Adams County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

You may also like: Fastest-growing jobs in Washington

Canva

6 / 20

#15. Clallam County

- Life expectancy: 77.9 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average

Canva

7 / 20

#14. Mason County

- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

Irra // Shutterstock

8 / 20

#13. Grant County

- Life expectancy: 77.6 years
--- 1.8 years lower than the state average

Canva

9 / 20

#10. Asotin County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

Canva

10 / 20

#10. Spokane County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

You may also like: Counties with the oldest homes in Washington

Canva

11 / 20

#10. Pacific County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

Canva

12 / 20

#9. Garfield County

- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average

Canva

13 / 20

#8. Okanogan County

- Life expectancy: 76.8 years
--- 2.6 years lower than the state average

davidrh // Shutterstock

14 / 20

#7. Lewis County

- Life expectancy: 76.2 years
--- 3.2 years lower than the state average

davidrh // Shutterstock

15 / 20

#6. Columbia County

- Life expectancy: 76.1 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

You may also like: Highest-rated Class of 2025 men's basketball recruits from Washington

Canva

16 / 20

#5. Yakima County

- Life expectancy: 75.9 years
--- 3.5 years lower than the state average

Canva

17 / 20

#4. Cowlitz County

- Life expectancy: 75.7 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average

kathmanduphotog // Shutterstock

18 / 20

#3. Ferry County

- Life expectancy: 75.6 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average

seesaw1 // Shutterstock

19 / 20

#2. Grays Harbor County

- Life expectancy: 75.5 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average

Canva

20 / 20

#1. Pend Oreille County

- Life expectancy: 74.9 years
--- 4.5 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: Highest-rated specialty museums in Washington by visitors