The median lifespan in the United States today is nearly 79 years. Like all medians and averages, your mileage may vary. In some U.S. towns and cities, the median falls to around 68, and in others, it rises to more than 85.
What’s different? It’s not just the air or the scenery. According to a report from Realtor.com, the road to a longer lifespan is not the same everywhere, but there are commonalities such as veggie-rich diets and plenty of exercise.
Dan Buettner, founder of a movement called Blue Zones that helps communities set policies to help residents live longer, comments, “If you want to live a long time, the best thing you can do is move to a place where people are verifiably living the longest.”
To come up with their list of U.S. counties where residents live the longest, researchers looked at death certificates in every U.S. country for 2014 to calculate life expectancy from birth. In the following longevity list, they’ve added population data for a notable city in the county and the median home listing price.
- Summit County, Colorado
Median lifespan: 86.8 years
City: Breckinridge
Population: 30,585
Median home listing price: $930,500 - Billings County, North Dakota
Median lifespan: 84 years
City: Medora
Population: 940
Median home listing price: $331,200 - Marin County, California
Median lifespan: 83.8 years
City: San Rafael
Population: 260,651
Median home listing price: $1.43 million - Fairfax County, Virginia
Median lifespan: 83.7 years
City: Herndon
Population: 1.15 million
Median home listing price: $608,700 - Aleutians East Borough, Alaska
Median lifespan: 83.7 years
City: King Cove
Population: 3,370
Median home listing price: $226,500 - Presidio County, Texas
Median lifespan: 83.7 years
City: Marfa
Population: 7,156
Median home listing price: $297,000 - San Juan County, Washington
Median lifespan: 83.7 years
City: Friday Harbor
Population: 16,715
Median home listing price: $774,400 - Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Median lifespan: 83.5 years
City: Los Alamos
Population: 18,738
Median home listing price: $384,400 - Teton County, Wyoming
Median lifespan: 83.5 years
City: Jackson
Population: 23,265
Median home listing price: $1.3 million - Collier County, Florida
Median lifespan: 83.4 years
City: Naples
Population: 372,880
Median home listing price: $479,400
More details and information are available at the Realtor.com website.
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