Life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in the United States in 2020. The decline, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis, represents the most pronounced regression in public health in the United States since World War II.
While the most recent dip in life expectancy in the U.S. is alarming, there are many parts of the country where poor health outcomes and other socioeconomic hardships have long been the norm.
Using an index of three measures -- life expectancy at birth, bachelor's degree attainment, and poverty rate -- 24/7 Wall St. identified the worst counties to live in in every state.
Okfuskee County, in east-central Oklahoma, ranks as the worst county to live in in the state. Major employers in the area include several manufacturing facilities and a correctional facility, but jobs appear to be low paying. The typical household in the county earns just $38,411 a year, and 26.3% of the local population live below the poverty line -- compared to a median income of $52,919 and a poverty rate of 15.7% across Oklahoma.
Of the 77 counties that make up Oklahoma, Okfuskee is the only one where life expectancy at birth is below 70 years. Across the state, life expectancy at birth is 76 years.
Data on bachelor's degree attainment and poverty are from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Data on average life expectancy at birth came from the 2021 County Health Rankings, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and are based on mortality data from the years 2017 to 2019. Supplemental data on population and income are from the ACS, and unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted for May 2021 and are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the worst county to live in every state.
PlacePoverty rate (%)Adults with a bachelor's degree (%)Life expectancy at birth (years)Alabama: Wilcox County30.112.570.8Alaska: Bethel Census Area28.311.971.6Arizona: Apache County35.512.373.1Arkansas: Phillips County34.513.871.1California: Tulare County23.814.678.7Colorado: Otero County23.718.674.0Connecticut: Windham County11.424.378.5Delaware: Kent County13.523.777.8Florida: Hamilton County29.97.976.2Georgia: Ben Hill County29.611.273.0Hawaii: Hawaii County15.629.480.6Idaho: Shoshone County19.411.575.5Illinois: Saline County21.119.273.4Indiana: Fayette County19.013.373.0Iowa: Appanoose County17.716.377.1Kansas: Wyandotte County19.218.175.8Kentucky: Leslie County38.08.770.4Louisiana: Madison Parish36.412.872.0Maine: Somerset County20.416.576.5Maryland: Somerset County21.714.475.5Massachusetts: Hampden County16.427.178.2Michigan: Clare County22.712.674.9Minnesota: Wadena County14.313.876.1Mississippi: Holmes County42.410.270.6Missouri: Pemiscot County27.412.771.5Montana: Roosevelt County28.317.467.7Nebraska: Dakota County16.213.079.1Nevada: Nye County16.410.774.2New Hampshire: Coos County12.518.277.3New Jersey: Cumberland County16.515.675.3New Mexico: McKinley County34.811.471.9New York: Bronx County28.020.180.9North Carolina: Robeson County27.713.772.8North Dakota: Rolette County27.119.672.3Ohio: Scioto County22.615.772.0Oklahoma: Okfuskee County26.311.669.6Oregon: Malheur County21.813.778.1Pennsylvania: Fayette County17.317.375.2Rhode Island: Providence County15.229.079.4South Carolina: Dillon County32.611.172.9South Dakota: Todd County55.515.667.4Tennessee: Cocke County23.511.671.5Texas: Zavala County33.810.976.0Utah: San Juan County25.018.376.4Vermont: Orleans County13.121.578.5Virginia: Buchanan County28.411.874.0Washington: Adams County25.614.380.2West Virginia: McDowell County33.25.469.0Wisconsin: Juneau County15.113.778.2Wyoming: Big Horn County12.719.076.1
via Oklahoma's Center Square News
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