The CDC released its Life Expectancy report at the end of August. While nobody gets out alive, the results are stunning, if not alarming. However, there's still some good news for Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin residents of the Tri-States.

Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
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According to the CDC, the United States life expectancy fell nearly a year from 2020 to 2021. It's a remarkable drop, but wait; there's more. For example, a decline from 77.0 to 76.1 years lowered the U.S. life expectancy to its lowest level in 26 years.

 But wait, there's even more cause for concern with the 0.9-year drop in life expectancy in 2021 and a 1.8-year drop in 2020, the most significant two-year decline in life expectancy since 1921-1923. But, again, the CDC puts the blame primarily on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hawaii maintains the longest life expectancy, with an average of 82.3 years. Meanwhile, West Virginia comes in dead last with an expectancy of just 74.8 years. That's 7.5 years fewer than Aloha State. But, again, glaring differences between lifestyles and environments lead to such a gap.

Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
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Tri-States residents can comfort themselves knowing their counties rank relatively high for their respective states. Also, each state is in the Top 25. For example, Illinois and Iowa are tied with a life expectancy of 79.4 years, while Wisconsin is just one step ahead at 79.5 years.

The website CountyHealthRankings.org provides a searchable database by County, so we took a deep dive to see which Tri-State locality has the longest life expectancy. 

  1. Jo Daviess County is #17 of 102 counties in Illinois with overall health and an average life expectancy of 80.5 years.
  2. Clayton County is #38 of 99 counties in Iowa with overall health, and the average life expectancy is 80.4 years.
  3. Lafayette County is #38 of 72 counties in Wisconsin with overall health, and the average life expectancy was 80.4 years.
  4. Dubuque County is #18 of 99 counties in Iowa with overall health, with an average life expectancy of 80.1 years.
  5. Grant County is #35 of 72 counties in Wisconsin and has an average life expectancy was 78.9 years.
  6. Jackson County is #43 of 99 counties in Iowa with overall health, with an average life expectancy was 78.6 years.

The Journal of the American Medical Association issued pre-COVID findings in 2016, concluding that income was a significant component in life expectancy. For example, males in the wealthiest one percent of the population lived 15 years longer than men in the poorest one percent of the people. And women in the richest one percent of the population lived ten years longer than women in the poorest one percent.

May You Prosper and Live Long!

To learn more, visit CDC.gov.

Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
Photo Credit: Keith B. via Canva
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