In this article, we look at 40 Cities With The Highest Life Expectancy In The US. You can skip our detailed analysis on companies that are working on longevity enhancement and improved health facilities by heading over directly to the 10 Cities With The Highest Life Expectancy In The US.
Life expectancy of a newborn has more than doubled globally, from an average life of 32 years in 1900, to 71 years in 2021. This stark shift has been driven by remarkable advancements in medicine, public health facilities, and an improvement in living standards. These factors have combined to significantly reduce child mortality and increased life expectancy at all ages.
Average lifespan has also been on the rise in the United States. It was 47 years in 1900 and climbed to 68 by 1950. It nearly touched 79 years in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic struck. Over the last few years, it has started to decline, driven by Covid-19 and cases of drug overdose, according to a report by Harvard University. Life Expectancy fell to 77 years in 2020, before further dropping to 76 in 2021.
Scientific research and studies are underway in the US to enhance longevity. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is actively working to combat chronic diseases. This month, the FDA approved Jaypirca, an anti-cancer drug that will be used to treat patients of lymphocytic leukemia. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) announced that this medication can be used for treatment of patients who have received at least two lines of therapy. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s Jaypirca is the first-ever non-covalent BTK inhibitor to be approved.
American biotechnology company Altos Labs, Inc., founded in 2022, is working to develop specialized cell therapies that extend lifespan and limit the human aging process. The company has so far received $3 billion in investor funding. On the other hand, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) is using artificial intelligence in biology, chemistry and machine learning to reinvent drug discovery and speed up pharmaceutical development.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX)’s main aim is to develop an AI platform that lowers the costs and time spent on drug development, and reduce the rate of late-stage clinical failures. In November this year, German pharmaceutical company, Bayer AG, pledged up to $1.5 billion to work with Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) on seven oncology and cancer treatment related projects.
Denali Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DNLI) is pursuing treatments that improve the lives of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Denali Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DNLI)’s innovations are likely to have wide-ranging effects, especially on patients of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative illnesses. Founded in 2013, Denali Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DNLI) is still a young company whose revenue model is reliant significantly on collaboration agreements with other corporations. In 2020, Biogen announced to co-develop with Denali the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) program for Parkinson’s disease. Under the agreement, Denali Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DNLI) received a payment of $560 million, and $465 million in equity investment.
The scale of research and innovation in the pharmaceutical sector to enhance longevity means the industry has immense potential for future growth. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the total value of the longevity market was estimated to be worth over $25 billion in 2020, and is projected to cross $44 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 6.1%.
40 Cities with the Highest Life Expectancy in the US
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Methodology
Cities with the highest life expectancy are ranked in ascending order of the average life expectancy in these cities. Major metropolitan areas with a population of 250,000 or more have been considered in our analysis. Data has been sourced from a report published by Moneygeek in January 2023.
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Let’s now head over to the list of cities with the highest life expectancy in the US.
40. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Principal City: San Antonio
Life Expectancy: 79.2
The Greater San Antonio Area is among cities with the highest life expectancy in the US. The average life expectancy here is nearly three years higher than the state average in Texas.
39. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Principal City: Providence
Life Expectancy: 79.3
Life expectancy in Rhode Island has dropped from 79.5 years in 2019 to 78.2 years in 2020. Despite that, Providence, the capital city, has one of the highest life expectancies in the country.
38. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Principal City: Davenport
Life Expectancy: 79.3
The metropolitan area has a population of 384,000 people, with an average life expectancy of 79.3 years at birth.
37. Salt Lake City, UT
Principal City: Salt Lake City
Life Expectancy: 79.4
According to Utah's Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health, women born in the state can expect to live 81.4 years on average, while men have a life expectancy of 77.6 years. Salt Lake City has one of the highest life expectancies in the state and the US.
36. Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI
Principal City: Grand Rapids
Life Expectancy: 79.5
Life expectancy of both men and women in Michigan is 76 years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Average life spans widely swing from one part of the state to another. For instance, some parts of the Detroit area have a life expectancy of only 62 years, while in Grand Rapids, it is 79.5 years.
35. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
Principal City: Omaha
Life Expectancy: 79.5
Omaha in Nebraska is the principal city in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It is among the largest cities with the highest life expectancy in America.
34. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
Principal City: Ogden
Life Expectancy: 79.6
Anchored by Ogden as the principal city, the Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan area stretches across four countries in north central Utah, and has one of the highest life expectancies in the US.
33. Manchester-Nashua, NH
Principal City: Manchester
Life Expectancy: 79.6
The Manchester-Nashua metropolitan in New Hampshire has a population of 421,000. The region is known for its rich industrial history and healthcare facilities. New Hampshire was ranked first in the US for overall healthcare in 2022, and it is no surprise that its largest metropolitan ranks among cities with the highest life expectancy in the US.
32. Portland-South Portland, ME
Principal City: Portland
Life Expectancy: 79.7
The Portland metropolitan area has one of the highest life expectancies in both Maine, and the United States. Portland and South Portland have a combined population of over 550,000.
31. Lincoln, NE
Principal City: Lincoln
Life Expectancy: 79.8
Lincoln in Nebraska is among cities with the highest life expectancy in the United States. However, life span varies by neighborhood. For instance, life expectancy in southwest Lincoln (91 years) is nearly three decades longer than in central Lincoln (63 years).
30. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Principal City: Orlando
Life Expectancy: 79.9
According to the US Census 2020, the Greater Orlando region has a population in excess of 2.6 million people, with nearly 540,000 added between 2010 and 2020. While the state of Florida has an average life expectancy at birth of 77.5 years, in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan area, people are expected to live nearly 80 years.
29. New Haven-Milford, CT
Principal City: New Haven
Life Expectancy: 80.1
New Haven in Connecticut is among cities in the US where people live the longest, with an average life expectancy of just over 80 years at birth for both genders.
28. El Paso, TX
Principal City: El Paso
Life Expectancy: 80.1
A study in 2018 found that El Paso ranked 226th out of 243 counties in Texas for quality of life, and took 102nd rank when it came to overall healthcare. Despite these challenges, it continues to remain among the cities with the highest life expectancy in the US. This could be attributed to the racial mix of the city – 82% of which comprises Hispanics.
27. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Principal City: Des Moines
Life Expectancy: 80.2
Average life expectancy in the state of Iowa dropped from 79 years in 2019 to 77.5 years in 2020, which is now closer to the national average in the US. However, people born in Des Moines are expected to live for over 80 years.
26. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Principal City: Milwaukee
Life Expectancy: 80.2
Milwaukee in Wisconsin has one of the highest life expectancies in the United States, with an average life span of 80.2 years.
25. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT
Principal City: Hartford
Life Expectancy: 80.2
Greater Hartford is known as the insurance capital of the world. Hartford is home to several insurance and financial services companies, regional health systems, and research institutions. There are also more than 2,000 bioscience-technologies companies in the metropolitan area that employ at least 35,000 people.
24. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Principal City: Durham
Life Expectancy: 80.3
The average lifespan at birth for males in Durham is 77.5 years, while for women, it is 82.2 years. Combined with Chapel Hill, the metropolitan area has one of the highest life expectancies in the US.
23. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Principal City: Albany
Life Expectancy: 80.3
Albany is the capital city of New York state. The metropolitan area, which also comprises Schenectady and Troy, has a population of close to 1 million residents. The average life expectancy at birth here is 80.3 years.
22. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Principal City: Portland
Life Expectancy: 80.5
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area comprises five cities – Portland, Oregon being the largest. It is among the cities with the highest life expectancy in the US.
21. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Principal City: Seattle
Life Expectancy: 80.6
The Seattle metropolitan area is well known for being a major base for some of the world’s leading tech companies. The city is also home to several of America’s finest medical institutions. People born in Seattle have a longer lifespan on average than those born in other parts of the country.
20. Green Bay, WI
Principal City: Green Bay
Life Expectancy: 80.7
Green Bay is located about 90 miles north of Milwaukee in the northeastern part of Wisconsin, and like Milwaukee, the city has one of the highest life expectancies in the US.
19. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Principal City: Chicago
Life Expectancy: 80.7
Life expectancy in Illinois dropped from 79 years in 2019 to 76.8 years in 2020, but it is among the highest in the US in the Chicago metropolitan area.
18. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Principal City: Brownsville
Life Expectancy: 81
The Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area is among cities with the highest life expectancy in the US – nearly four years higher than the national average.
17. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Principal City: Boston
Life Expectancy: 81.2
Greater Boston is home to nearly five million people. Life expectancy here varies by neighborhood. In Back Bay, people born are expected to live up to 92 years on average, while just two miles away in Roxbury's Nubian Square, the expected lifespan of Bostonians drops to just 69.
16. Tucson, AZ
Principal City: Tucson
Life Expectancy: 81.3
In 2020, more than 85% of the population in Tucson's metropolitan area reported good or better health. High physical wellbeing is one of the main reasons why the city ranks among those with the highest life expectancy in the US.
15. Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Principal City: Minneapolis
Life Expectancy: 81.4
Minneapolis has one of the highest average lifespans in the US, with people born there expected to live for more than 81 years.
14. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Principal City: Sacramento
Life Expectancy: 81.5
The Sacramento metropolitan area has a population close to 3 million people. The city is known for its rich history, thriving economy, and having more trees per capita than any other place in the US. Sacramento has a life expectancy of 81.5 years.
13. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Principal City: Phoenix
Life Expectancy: 81.5
The Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona is home to 4.85 million people. People born here are likely to live four years longer than the national average in the US.
12. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
Principal City: Austin
Life Expectancy: 81.6
Next up on the list is another Texan city, Austin, which, with a life expectancy of 81.6 years, is among cities in the United States where people live the longest.
11. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Principal City: Washington, D.C.
Life Expectancy: 81.8
The Washington metropolitan area, centered around the capital of the United States, has one of the highest life expectancies in the country, where people are expected to have an average lifespan of nearly 82 years.
