At the turn of the 20th century, most Americans would be lucky to live until the age of 40. Since then, changes and certain advancements in medicine, diet, climate and overall living conditions have increased the average life expectancy in the United States.
In addition to environmental factors, in recent years the collective attitude towards health has shifted. Many people value good nutrition and promoting active lifestyles, which in turn can lead to longevity. But which areas of the country are seeing results?
Using data from U.S. death records from 1897-2014 (mainly from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)), MooseRoots found the top counties in the country with the highest average age of death. To do so, they sifted through their database of about 100 million death records to calculate the average age at death for each county. Records without a county listed and without an age at death listed were excluded, as were counties that had fewer than 10,000 death records.
Here’s how the entire country stacks up:
Note: MooseRoots used the average age as their key statistic instead of life expectancy. Also, Florida was not included in this ranking because their death records do not disclose counties.
#25. Barnstable County, MA
Average age at death: 78.64
Number of records aggregated: 78,365
#24. St. Croix County, WI
Average age at death: 78.64
Number of records aggregated: 10,119
#23. Blue Earth County, MN
Average age at death: 78.64
Number of records aggregated: 10,119
#22. Winona County, MN
Average age at death: 78.65
Number of records aggregated: 11,844
#21. Adams County, NE
Average age at death: 78.65
Number of records aggregated: 11,373
#20. Polk County, MN
Average age at death: 78.68
Number of records aggregated: 11,819
#19. McDonough County, IL
Average age at death: 78.70
Number of records aggregated: 10,812
#18. Olmsted County, MN
Average age at death: 78.70
Number of records aggregated: 21,427
#17. Fayette County, TX
Average age at death: 78.72
Number of records aggregated: 10,514
#16. Mower County, MN
Average age at death: 78.73
Number of records aggregated: 13,820
#15. Buffalo County, NE
Average age at death: 78.73
Number of records aggregated: 10,923
#14. Howard County, MO
Average age at death: 78.77
Number of records aggregated: 10,400
#13. Clark County, WI
Average age at death: 78.85
Number of records aggregated: 11,950
#12. Monroe County, MO
Average age at death: 78.86
Number of records aggregated: 10,453
#11. Cache County, UT
Average age at death: 78.86
Number of records aggregated: 10,431
#10. Chariton County, MO
Average age at death: 78.93
Number of records aggregated: 11,562
#9. Kandiyohi County, MN
Average age at death: 78.94
Number of records aggregated: 10,709
#8. Freeborn County, MN
Average age at death: 78.96
Number of records aggregated: 11,328
#7. Harrison County, MO
Average age at death: 79.08
Number of records aggregated: 12,323
#6. Douglas County, MN
Average age at death: 79.17
Number of records aggregated: 11,715
#5. Otter Tail County, MN
Average age at death: 79.18
Number of records aggregated: 18,922
#4. Nodaway County, MO
Average age at death: 79.23
Number of records aggregated: 19,086
#3. Goodhue County, MN
Average age at death: 79.23
Number of records aggregated: 12,672
#2. Story County, IA
Average age at death: 79.36
Number of records aggregated: 14,978
#1. Harvey County, KS
Average age at death: 79.58
Number of records aggregated: 10,784
