Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Texas
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 Texas, 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.
#44. Gregg County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Floyd County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Howard County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Gray County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Henderson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Wilbarger County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#44. Swisher County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.8 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
#43. Morris County
- Life expectancy: 72.7 years
--- 4.5 years lower than the state average
#41. Dawson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.6 years
--- 4.6 years lower than the state average
#41. Orange County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.6 years
--- 4.6 years lower than the state average
#40. Lamar County
- Life expectancy: 72.5 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
#36. Wheeler County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#36. Ector County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#36. Tyler County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#36. Eastland County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
#30. Hockley County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#30. Marion County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#30. Collingsworth County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#30. McCulloch County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#30. Lynn County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#30. Camp County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
#25. Young County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#25. Jim Wells County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#25. Duval County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#25. Dimmit County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#25. Shelby County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
#22. Armstrong County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
#22. Cass County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
#22. Panola County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
#19. Jasper County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 5.2 years lower than the state average
#19. Cochran County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 5.2 years lower than the state average
#19. Anderson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 5.2 years lower than the state average
#18. Terry County
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
#17. San Augustine County
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
#16. Knox County
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 5.5 years lower than the state average
#14. Dallam County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 5.6 years lower than the state average
#14. Donley County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.6 years
--- 5.6 years lower than the state average
#13. Hutchinson County
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 5.8 years lower than the state average
#11. Montague County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 5.9 years lower than the state average
#11. Zavala County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 5.9 years lower than the state average
#9. Sabine County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 6.0 years lower than the state average
#9. Crockett County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 6.0 years lower than the state average
#8. Potter County
- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 6.1 years lower than the state average
#7. Winkler County
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 6.2 years lower than the state average
#6. Brooks County
- Life expectancy: 70.9 years
--- 6.3 years lower than the state average
#5. Polk County
- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 6.4 years lower than the state average
#3. Baylor County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.7 years
--- 6.5 years lower than the state average
#3. Crosby County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.7 years
--- 6.5 years lower than the state average
#2. Coleman County
- Life expectancy: 70.2 years
--- 7.0 years lower than the state average
#1. Red River County
- Life expectancy: 69.6 years
--- 7.6 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.
