Life expectancy isn’t just about biology – it reflects the city, state, and country in which you live, the resources around you, and the choices we make as communities.
In the U.S., states in the Northeast and West often see longer lives, while several Southern and some Midwestern states lag behind.
Why? People in higher-expectancy states tend to have better access to primary care, cleaner air, safer roads, and more walkable neighborhoods.
They also show lower rates of smoking and obesity and higher levels of education, which all push life expectancy up.
State life expectancy numbers
South Carolinians have shorter life expectancy than most Americans in other states. The average life expectancy in the state sits at 73.5 years, a bottom ten finish based on federal data.
The United States overall reached 77.5 years in 2022, according to a national report, which shows a clear gap between South Carolina and the nation. This difference reflects health risks that stack up across years, not just moments.
A new analysis from a digital health group compared states on public resources, food options, pollution, smoking, hospital readmissions, and overall longevity. The index used a percent-rank, a simple score that shows where a state stands relative to others.
The South Carolina snapshot shows more unhealthy food outlets than healthy ones, fewer parks and gyms per person, and higher smoking than many states. Those ingredients line up with a shorter average lifespan.
Mood and life expectancy
The mind and body do not run on separate tracks. One large analysis linked mood and mental disorders to shorter lives across dozens of studies.
The researchers reported that life expectancy dropped by as much as 32 years in people with mental disorders regardless of the state, with a median loss of around 10 years, highlighting the profound toll that mental health can take on overall longevity.
Chronic stress loads the body with repeated spikes in hormones and inflammation. That biological wear and tear is called allostatic load, the stress cost your body pays to stay in balance over time.
Optimistic outlooks are not magic, but they track with healthier sleep, steadier blood pressure, and more consistent care seeking. A depressed mood can do the opposite by draining energy for activity and treatment follow through.
Why states shape life expectancy
The index counted parks, trails, pools, and gyms because easy access nudges everyday movement. More active time lowers blood pressure and weight, and it improves mental health symptoms that fuel risk cycles.
Air quality matters too. Fine particles known as PM2.5, tiny soot that reaches deep into lungs, raise risks for heart and lung disease, according to federal evidence.
Food landscapes tilt decisions in quiet ways. If a neighborhood has more fast food than produce, then over time that shows up in cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight, which erode years of life.
Hospitals signal system health as well. A higher hospital readmission rate, the share of people who return within 30 days, hints at gaps in follow up care and discharge support.
According to national tobacco control authorities, cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease, death, and disability in the United States, a conclusion supported by decades of data.
South Carolina’s smoking prevalence has improved compared with past decades, but it still hovers above the best performing states. That matters because tobacco accelerates heart disease, stroke, several cancers, and severe lung disease.
How the index was built
The Healthy States Index that predicts life expectancy used counts of parks, gyms, walking routes, and pools from open mapping data, then adjusted those counts by state population size. It also tallied healthy and unhealthy food outlets to reflect access.
Pollution scores looked at major air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. These gases are linked to breathing problems and heart disease, which can shorten life when exposure stays high.
The scoring used a percent-rank system, which ranks each state from lowest to highest across all categories. This approach makes comparisons fair, even between states with very different sizes and populations.
What can move the needle
On the personal side, small consistent steps chip away at risk. A daily walk, a steady sleep schedule, and smoke free living push in the right direction when repeated over months.
On the community side, more safe sidewalks, park upkeep, and transit routes can raise daily activity for entire neighborhoods. Investments in primary care and mental health clinics increase timely treatment, which eases allostatic load by stabilizing stress responses.
System fixes help, too. Hospitals and insurers can lower readmissions by scheduling fast follow ups, checking home access to food and medications, and coordinating rides to clinics.
How states can boost life expectancy
Public health data can feel distant, but it points to real, everyday choices. Many people underestimate how small environmental or lifestyle changes ripple through a community’s health over decades.
When cities invest in cleaner air, better grocery access, or smoke-free policies, the results often show up in lower hospital visits and longer lives. These gains may seem gradual, yet they accumulate into years of difference across an entire population.
State averages hide large gaps between counties and zip codes. Some South Carolina communities outperform the state, while others face higher burdens from poverty, traffic emissions, and storm damage.
Open mapping and administrative data can miss locations or misclassify a few sites. The index notes that counts may be off slightly, but the broad patterns remain clear enough to guide action.
—–
Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.
Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.
—–