Living in the Wrong Minnesota County Could Cost You Years

We all want to be here for as long as humanly possible, right? So what if I told you that where you live really matters and that living in the wrong area could actually cost you years off your life?

Fortunately, Minnesota is holding its own. Most of it, anyway. In fact, many of our counties have an average life expectancy over 80 years, which isn’t something every state can brag about. (Looking at you, Oklahoma.)

Also See: New Law Bringing Human Composting to Minnesota in July. 

The average life expectancy in America is 78.5 years. That might not sound terrible… until you find out we rank 41st in the world. In. The. World! Let that sink in for a minute. That means, thirty-two other countries have hit 80+ years on average, and we’re still sitting below that line.

But when you really zoom in, the story gets more interesting and more uneven. Some parts of the U.S. are doing great. Hawaii is basically winning the life expectancy lottery. And most of Minnesota? Right up there too.

Most of Wisconsin, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey also have counties hitting that 80+ milestone. Meanwhile, in states like Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas? Not a single county breaks 80. Yikes!

So, what’s going on? It’s not just about clean living and green smoothies. Life expectancy is influenced by a mix of factors: income, education, access to health care, safe environments, smart public policy, strong community support, and more. When those things are lacking, life expectancy takes a hit.

Even in Minnesota, Location Matters:

Some Minnesota counties are hitting those high marks (keep scrolling to see which county has the highest life expectancy), while others still have ground to make up. Check it out - this map highlights where there's a life expectancy of 80+.

According to BrilliantMaps, Carver County has the highest life expectancy at 82.84, followed by Cook County at 82.16, Olmsted County at 82.11, Scott County at 82.05, and Stearns County at 81.93.

To see where your county falls on the list, click here. 

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