Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Tennessee

Written by:
July 9, 2024
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Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Tennessee

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 Tennessee, 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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#48. Coffee County

- Life expectancy: 72.9 years
--- 1.2 years lower than the state average

#44. Lincoln County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

#44. Cheatham County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

#44. Henderson County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

#44. Obion County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 1.3 years lower than the state average

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#42. Crockett County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average

#42. Lawrence County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 1.4 years lower than the state average

#41. Clay County

- Life expectancy: 72.6 years
--- 1.5 years lower than the state average

#40. Shelby County

- Life expectancy: 72.5 years
--- 1.6 years lower than the state average

#37. Overton County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

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#37. Rhea County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

#37. Greene County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 1.7 years lower than the state average

#35. McMinn County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 1.9 years lower than the state average

#35. Henry County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 1.9 years lower than the state average

#33. Monroe County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

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#33. Hawkins County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 2.0 years lower than the state average

#32. Giles County

- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 2.1 years lower than the state average

#28. Hamblen County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average

#28. Claiborne County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average

#28. Hardeman County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average

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#28. Lauderdale County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 2.2 years lower than the state average

#24. Scott County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

#24. Hickman County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

#24. Unicoi County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

#24. Carroll County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 2.3 years lower than the state average

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#20. Lewis County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#20. Grainger County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#20. Polk County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#20. Decatur County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 2.4 years lower than the state average

#18. Cannon County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average

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#18. Humphreys County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 2.5 years lower than the state average

#17. Houston County

- Life expectancy: 71.5 years
--- 2.6 years lower than the state average

#16. McNairy County

- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 2.7 years lower than the state average

#15. Benton County

- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 2.8 years lower than the state average

#12. DeKalb County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average

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#12. Fentress County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average

#12. Hancock County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 2.9 years lower than the state average

#11. Haywood County

- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 3.0 years lower than the state average

#10. Union County

- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 3.1 years lower than the state average

#7. Meigs County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

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#7. Gibson County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

#7. Hardin County (tie)

- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 3.3 years lower than the state average

#6. Dyer County

- Life expectancy: 70.7 years
--- 3.4 years lower than the state average

#5. Lake County

- Life expectancy: 70.1 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average

#4. Campbell County

- Life expectancy: 70.0 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average

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#3. Grundy County

- Life expectancy: 69.8 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average

#2. Cocke County

- Life expectancy: 69.6 years
--- 4.5 years lower than the state average

#1. Van Buren County

- Life expectancy: 69.1 years
--- 5.0 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.

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