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 Georgia, 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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#49. Coffee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average
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#49. Sumter County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.4 years
--- 3.7 years lower than the state average
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#43. Muscogee County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#43. Randolph County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#43. Haralson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#43. Peach County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#43. Irwin County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#43. Spalding County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.3 years
--- 3.8 years lower than the state average
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#42. Appling County
- Life expectancy: 72.2 years
--- 3.9 years lower than the state average
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#39. Crawford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
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#39. Richmond County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
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#39. Brantley County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.1 years
--- 4.0 years lower than the state average
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#35. Jeff Davis County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
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#35. Dodge County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
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#35. Berrien County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
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#35. Turner County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 72.0 years
--- 4.1 years lower than the state average
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#32. Stephens County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
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#32. Decatur County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
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#32. McDuffie County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.9 years
--- 4.2 years lower than the state average
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#29. Terrell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average
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#29. Chattooga County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average
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#29. Screven County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.8 years
--- 4.3 years lower than the state average
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#28. Wayne County
- Life expectancy: 71.7 years
--- 4.4 years lower than the state average
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#25. Bibb County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
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#25. Dougherty County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
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#25. Evans County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.4 years
--- 4.7 years lower than the state average
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#22. Wilcox County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
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#22. Clay County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
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#22. Polk County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.3 years
--- 4.8 years lower than the state average
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#19. Laurens County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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#19. Twiggs County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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#19. Toombs County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.2 years
--- 4.9 years lower than the state average
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#17. Meriwether County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
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#17. Hancock County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.1 years
--- 5.0 years lower than the state average
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#15. Pierce County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
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#15. Treutlen County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 71.0 years
--- 5.1 years lower than the state average
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#14. Emanuel County
- Life expectancy: 70.9 years
--- 5.2 years lower than the state average
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#13. Wilkinson County
- Life expectancy: 70.8 years
--- 5.3 years lower than the state average
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#12. Crisp County
- Life expectancy: 70.7 years
--- 5.4 years lower than the state average
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#11. Ware County
- Life expectancy: 70.4 years
--- 5.7 years lower than the state average
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#9. Upson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.3 years
--- 5.8 years lower than the state average
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#9. Bacon County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.3 years
--- 5.8 years lower than the state average
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#7. Jefferson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.2 years
--- 5.9 years lower than the state average
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#7. Atkinson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 70.2 years
--- 5.9 years lower than the state average
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#6. Early County
- Life expectancy: 70.1 years
--- 6.0 years lower than the state average
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#5. Clinch County
- Life expectancy: 69.8 years
--- 6.3 years lower than the state average
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#3. Candler County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.6 years
--- 6.5 years lower than the state average
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#3. Ben Hill County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 69.6 years
--- 6.5 years lower than the state average
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#2. Quitman County
- Life expectancy: 68.6 years
--- 7.5 years lower than the state average
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#1. Miller County
- Life expectancy: 67.7 years
--- 8.4 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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