This multi-scale map shows life expectancy - a widely-used measure of health and mortality. From the County Health Rankings page about Life Expectancy:

"Life Expectancy is an Average

Life Expectancy measures the average number of years from birth a person can expect to live, according to the current mortality experience (age-specific death rates) of the population. Life Expectancy takes into account the number of deaths in a given time period and the average number of people at risk of dying during that period, allowing us to compare data across counties with different population sizes.

Life Expectancy is Age-Adjusted

Age is a non-modifiable risk factor, and as age increases, poor health outcomes are more likely. Life Expectancy is age-adjusted in order to fairly compare counties with differing age structures.

What Deaths Count Toward Life Expectancy?

Deaths are counted in the county where the individual lived. So, even if an individual dies in a car crash on the other side of the state, that death is attributed to his/her home county.

Some Data are Suppressed

A missing value is reported for counties with fewer than 5,000 population-years-at-risk in the time frame.

Measure Limitations

Life Expectancy includes mortality of all age groups in a population instead of focusing just on premature deaths and thus can be dominated by deaths of the elderly.[1] This could draw attention to areas with higher mortality rates among the oldest segment of the population, where there may be little that can be done to change chronic health problems that have developed over many years. However, this captures the burden of chronic disease in a population better than premature death measures.[2]

Furthermore, the calculation of life expectancy is complex and not easy to communicate. Methodologically, it can produce misleading results caused by hidden differences in age structure, is sensitive to infant and child mortality, and tends to be overestimated in small populations."

Breakdown by race/ethnicity in pop-up:

(This map has been updated with new data, so figures may vary from those in this image.)

There are many factors that play into life expectancy: rates of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity, prevalence of tobacco use, prevalence of domestic violence, and many more.

Proven strategies to improve life expectancy and health in general

A database of dozens of strategies can be found at County Health Rankings' What Works for Health site, sorted by Health Behaviors, Clinical Care, Social & Economic Factors, and Physical Environment. Policies and Programs listed here have been evaluated as to their effectiveness. For example, consumer-directed health plans received an evidence rating of "mixed evidence" whereas cultural competence training for health care professionals received a rating of "scientifically supported."

Data from County Health Rankings (layer referenced below), available for nation, state, and county, and available in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

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