Philadelphia

Your Address Can Determine Your Life Expectancy, Study Finds

Study Shows Correlation Between Neighborhoods and Life Expectancy

Average life spans can vary as much as 20 to 25 years in towns less than 10 miles away from each other. 

A new study shows that a person’s neighborhood and even block affects how long they are expected to live, according to The United States Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project.

The life expectancy in Philadelphia, for example, is 75 years old compared to neighboring Ardmore, where the average is 80. Compare that to the state of Pennsylvania, where the average life span is 78 years. Nationally, the average is closer to 79. 

Among contributing factors to this disparity are serious health challenges that could result in shorter life spans, known as “islands of disadvantage,” according to the researchers. Major highways and crime rates also play large roles in the life expectancy of neighborhoods.

“The more local the data, the more useful they can be for pinpointing disparities and driving action,” said Don Schwarz, vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a partner in the study.

Wondering what the life expectancy in your town is? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has set up a tool that allows residents to simply punch in their zip code to see the numbers about their town.

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