California, the largest state of the United States by population, has residents who are some of the longest-living in the States. When it comes to life expectancy, it can depend on a number of factors, including mental and physical health, different environmental factors, education systems, healthcare aspects, access to food systems, and income. Moreover, the person’s lifespan will also be affected by the place where they live, as different cities across California offer different levels of access to healthcare. Hence, the area where you live and other factors you don’t normally think about can impact the lifespan.
The life expectancy in California at birth is second highest in the nation, and it is ranked right behind Hawaii. By the numbers, the Californians’ life expectancy is around 80.9 years, while in Hawaii it is 81.3 years. So, the average Californian lives to be about 80-years-old, while the causes of death range from gun violence or disease, to tobacco and alcohol use. So, the five states with the highest life expectancy at birth include:
- Hawaii: 81.3 years of life
- California: 80.9 years
- Connecticut: 80.8 years
- Minnesota: 80.8 years
- New York: 80.5 years
On the other hand, the states with the lowest life expectancy are Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabaman, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
Life Expectancy in California by Neighborhoods
The longevity of the Golden State residents isn’t shared equally across the county. In fact, life expectancy can even be 15 years different depending on where you live. For instance, residents of Los Angeles County today can expect to live for more than 82 years. The northwest section of the country, such as Malibu and Beverly Hills, is one of the longest-living communities. On the other hand, the southeast and northeast portions of the county, including Compton and Signal Hill, are the communities with shorter life expectancies.
There have been a large number of researches which demonstrated that there are stark discrepancies between life expectancy in different areas of California. The major factors which attribute to these differences between different cities and neighborhoods around the county include access to green spaces, availability of grocery stores, affordable housing and health care, and jobs with living wages. Hence, the country’s ‘Blue Zones’ is Loma Linda, a city about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. This is the place in California where residents live well into their 80s or 90s, or even older.
Additionally, it was revealed that black babies in L.A. County are more likely to die than white babies. Likewise, the research showed that African-Americans across California live to an average age of 75, while Asian-Americans live to an average age of 86. It was concluded that the community’s education, average wages, and infrastructure are all huge factors which indicate how long a person might live.
In a nutshell, the life expectancy in California has risen in recent years. Nowadays, the Golden State is the second highest in the nation in longevity and the average life expectancy is around 80.9 years. According to many experts, the key to the longevity of Californians is the Mediterranean diet, the breathtaking beaches, the blazing sun, Disneyland, and the amazing cannabis. Why do you think is the reason that California ranks second highest in the nation for life expectancy at birth?
