In this article, we will be taking a look at the 20 US cities with the shortest life expectancies. If you do not want to learn about the advancements in healthcare and biotechnology, head straight to the 5 US Cities With the Shortest Life Expectancies.
Advancements in Healthcare and Biotechnology: Impact on Life Expectancy and Therapeutic Innovations
Life expectancy has increased dramatically across the world over the past two centuries. In 1900, the global average life expectancy was just 32 years, but by 2021 it had more than doubled to over 70 years. While life expectancy has increased globally, the United States has fallen behind other high-income countries in this metric. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. life expectancy was 78.8 years, which placed it 43rd in the world. This was significantly lower than countries like Japan (84.2 years), Switzerland (83.5 years), and Iceland (82.9 years). The lowest life expectancy in the US is 71.9 and the state with the highest life expectancy in the US is Hawaii with a life expectancy of 80.7 years. If we talk about Canada, the life expectancy in Canada is relatively higher than the US at 83 years or more which is one of the reasons why Canadians live longer than the Americans.
According to the data, the city with the largest gap in life expectancy across neighborhoods is Chicago, with a difference of 30.1 years. Other cities with very large life expectancy gaps include Washington, D.C. (27.5 years), New York City (27.4 years), New Orleans (25.8 years), and Buffalo (25.8 years). In contrast to that, cities with the smallest life expectancy gaps tend to have lower levels of segregation. For example, Fishers, Indiana has a gap of only 2.4 years, while Cicero, Illinois; Lynwood, California; Livermore, California; and Meridian, Idaho all have gaps under 5.5 years.
The reasons behind these large disparities in life expectancy are multifaceted but they are mainly the result of systemic racial and ethnic inequalities. Factors like access to quality healthcare, education, employment, housing, and environmental conditions can all contribute to differences in life expectancy. For example, in New York City, residents of East Harlem live an average of 71.2 years, while those in the nearby Upper East Side live to 89.9 years. This 18.7-year gap is likely due to the stark socioeconomic and racial divides between the two neighborhoods.
Despite all of these fluctuations, the life expectancy in the US remains high if we compare it to the global average, which is 71 years. It is safe to argue that one of the reasons is healthcare technology — the surge of biotech companies and the advancement in R&D in the US’s health sector.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) is one of the biggest clinical-stage biotechnologies companies. Their main aim is to decode biology and advance new therapeutics to radically improve lives. In November 2023, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) announced a data collaboration deal with Tempus, which is one of the world’s largest proprietary, de-identified, patient-centric oncology datasets. Also in November 2023, Recursion committed to expanding its on-premise supercomputer, BioHive-1, powered by NVIDIA.
This will increase the computational capacity by over 4x, making it one of the top 50 most powerful supercomputers in the world. This will accelerate Recursion’s drug discovery efforts. Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) also announced an updated collaboration with its established partner, Bayer, in the same period, for a select set of precision oncology programs. The companies may initiate up to seven oncology programs, with Recursion eligible for up to $1.5 billion in potential, success-based, future payments plus royalties.
On the other hand, Biophytis is also one of the companies that specialize in developing therapeutics that are aimed at slowing the degenerative processes, especially those associated with aging, and improving functional outcomes for patients that are suffering from age-related diseases. The company’s lead drug candidate, BIO101 (20-hydroxyecdysone), is currently in clinical development for muscular (sarcopenia, phase 3 ready and Duchenne muscular dystrophy), respiratory (Covid-19 phase 2-3 completed), and metabolic diseases. The company has also recently announced a partnership with SEQENS which is a global player in pharmaceutical ingredients to produce the active compound in Sarconeos (BIO101) at its facility in France.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has also been working to treat chronic diseases to help improve life expectancies. In 2022 alone, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) and its affiliates contributed over $3.7 billion worth of medicines to organizations offering free Lilly products to patients in need. Financially, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s revenue grew 28% year-over-year to $9.35 billion in Q4 2023. In the U.S., revenue soared 39% to $6.46 billion due to 27% higher realized prices and 12% volume growth.
15 States with the Best Healthcare in the US
Our Methodology
For our methodology, we have ranked the US cities with the shortest life expectancies based on the average lifespan at birth in these cities. Metropolitan areas that have a population of more than 250,000 people were taken into account. For the accuracy of data, we relied on MonkeyGeek.
Here is our list of the 20 US cities with the shortest life expectancies.
20. Lafayette, LA
Life Expectancy: 76.4
The average life expectancy in Lafayette, LA is 76.4 years. the city has high rates of adults in poor or fair general health at 19% and also has a higher than average teen birth rate at 34.53 per 1000 women aged 15-19 which contributes to the lower life expectancy in the city.
19. Lubbock, TX
Life Expectancy: 76.4
Lubbock, TX stands among the cities with the shortest life expectancies in the US with a life expectancy of 76.4 years. Lubbock County has higher rates of poor or fair general health at 20.9%. The county also has a higher rate of adults with no leisure-time physical activity at 32.7%. Around 17.7 people in the city do not have health insurance as well.
18. Tulsa, OK
Life Expectancy: 76.4
Tulsa, OK is one of the US cities with the lowest life expectancies at 76.4 years. Residents in the area near multiple Superfund contamination sites have a life expectancy of only 64 years. In contrast, more affluent areas like Edmond have a life expectancy as high as 84 years. The rate of adults with poor or general health stands at 19.6% and the teen birth rate per 1000 women stands at 23.5.
17. Lynchburg, VA
Life Expectancy: 76.3
The life expectancy in Lynchburg, VA stands at 76.3 years. Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in the city, affecting about 116 persons per 100,000 people, followed by heart disease. Around one-fifth of Lynchburg’s population smokes tobacco which is another main reason for a lower life expectancy in the city. According to the 2021 Lynchburg Area Community Health Needs Assessment, the premature death rate for the city is 430.6 per 100,000 people, which is significantly higher than the Virginia state average of 320.0
16. Amarillo, TX
Life Expectancy: 76.3
Amarillo, TX stands among the US cities with the shortest life expectancies at 76.3 years. More than 30,000 people in the city are addicted to smoking and around 35% of the population is obese which contributes to lower life expectancy.
15. Savannah, GA
Life Expectancy: 76.3
The life expectancy in Savannah, GA is 76.3 years. Ischemic heart disease mortality rates are high in the city with a mortality rate of 125.8 per 100,000 people for females in Chatham county, whereas the ischemic heart disease mortality rate for males is 206.8 per 100,000 males. Stroke and transport injuries are also one of the factors of lower life expectancy in the city with the transport injury mortality rate standing at 33 per 100,000 people including both men and women in 2014.
14. Greenville-Anderson, SC
Life Expectancy: 76.2
Greenville-Anderson, SC stands fourteenth among the cities in the US with the lowest life expectancies at 76.2 years. in the North Greenville/Cherrydale area, the life expectancy ranges from a high of 82.6 years to a low of 71.9 years. In West Greenville, the range is 75.1 years to 66.4 years. In the Downtown area, the range is 80.6 years to 68.6 years. The leading causes of premature death before the age of 75 in Greenville-Anderson, SC are cancer, heart disease, accidents, lung diseases, and diabetes.
13. Roanoke, VA
Life Expectancy: 76.2
The average life expectancy in Roanoke, VA is 76.2 years. Roanoke has higher rates of ischemic heart disease mortality, with a rate of 73.6 deaths per 100,000 people. around 11.1% of people have no health insurance in the city and 6.3% of the population is affected by heart disease. The adult smoking rate in the city stands at 26.40%. The excessive drinking rate is also high at 13.10% which is an important reason for lower life expectancy in the city.
12. Scranton—Wilkes-Barre, PA
Life Expectancy: 76.1
Scranton—Wilkes-Barre is one of the US cities with the shortest life expectancies at 76.1 years. People in this city live 1.4 years less than people in other parts of the US. The poverty rate is high at 20.4%. Around 18% of the city’s population had poor health in 2016 which contributes to the lower life expectancy in the city. 46% of the population suffered from high blood pressure or hypertension while 43% dealt with cholesterol and 15% suffered from Type 2 diabetes.
11. Jacksonville, FL
Life Expectancy: 76.1
Jacksonville has one of the lowest life expectancies at 76.1 years. The cancer incidence stands at 520.3 per 100k people and the heart disease prevalence stands at 5.8%. The rate of adults in poor or generally fair health is 20.3% and the teenage birth rate is also high at 23.2 per 1000 females aged 15-19. Mental illness is also a serious concern in the city with a mental illness death rate of 64.5 per 100k.
10. Chattanooga, TN-GA
Life Expectancy: 76
Chattanooga, TN-GA has a life expectancy of 76 years. The cancer mortality rate in the city stands at 165.9 deaths per 100,000 residents and the heart disease mortality rate stands at 212.87 deaths per 100,000 residents. Chattanooga also stands among one of the cities with the highest percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes at 12.2%. Obesity stands at 38.9%.
9. Spartanburg, SC
Life Expectancy: 75.9
Spartanburg has a life expectancy of 75.9 years. The county has a high smoking rate of 20%. 28.2% of the city’s adults report no leisure-time physical activity. The rate of preventable hospital admissions among Medicare beneficiaries in Spartanburg County stands at 3,849 per 100,000 people. 13% of the population has no health insurance and chronic conditions like cancer stand at a rate of 472.3 cases per 100,000 population.
8. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Life Expectancy: 75.6
The life expectancy for Little Tock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR is 75.6 which is one of the lowest life expectancies in the USA. The region has seen an increase in “deaths of despair” caused by drug and alcohol abuse, as well as suicides.
7. Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Life Expectancy: 75.5
Memphis has a life expectancy of 75.5 years. Shelby County has a smoking rate of 19.2% and the rate of adults in poor or fair general health stands at 23.2%. The cancer incidence rate stands at 458.2 per 100,000 people which is one of the reasons for low life expectancy in the city. Around 31.9% of the population has no leisure-time physical activity. 37.6% of the population is obese and 13.9% suffer from diabetes.
6. Knoxville, TN
Life Expectancy: 75.5
Knoxville, TN stands sixth among the US cities with the shortest life expectancies. The data shows that 19.2% of adults in Knox County report being in poor or fair general health. The rate of heart disease deaths in Knox County is 338 per 100,000 people and the cancer incidence rate stands at 466.7 per 100,000 people. Additionally, the smoking rate in Knox County is 18.6%.
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Disclosure. None: The 20 US Cities With the Shortest Life Expectancies is originally published on Insider Monkey.