Life expectancy rates have been on the rise in the United States, with an increase of nearly seven years over the past half-century. (The average lifespan was 70.8 in 1970 and was documented as 77.5 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) There are many factors that can contribute to how long you’ll live—from genetics to how much you drink or smoke, your diet and weight, and how physically active you are. But then there’s the matter of where you live.
In some areas of the globe, dubbed “blue zones,” there is a disproportionately high number of residents who live to at least 100 years old. These five particular pockets of the world—Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica, Okinawa, Japan; and Sardinia, Italy—are heavily researched, as scientists try to determine what it is about these residents’ diets, lifestyles, and environments that can promote such longevity. While it may not be as obvious of a contributing factor, where you live can play a significant role in your overall lifespan, which is why some states and even counties in the U.S. tend to see longer life expectancy rates compared to others.
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By delving into 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Stacker identified the counties with the longest life expectancy in Texas. Life expectancy measures the average number of years from birth a person can expect to live and is calculated based on the number of deaths in a given time period and the average number of people at risk of dying during that period. Counties with unreliable or insufficient data were excluded from the analysis. Mortality data came from the National Vital Statistics System.
Read on to see if your county made the list.
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#47. Oldham County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.2 years
--- Same as state average
#47. Wilson County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.2 years
--- Same as state average
#47. Parker County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.2 years
--- Same as state average
#45. Dallas County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 0.1 years higher than the state average
#45. Cameron County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.3 years
--- 0.1 years higher than the state average
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#40. Erath County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#40. Fayette County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#40. Bastrop County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#40. Austin County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#40. Burnet County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.4 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
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#35. Brazoria County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
#35. Kinney County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
#35. Washington County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
#35. Bandera County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
#35. Tarrant County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.5 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
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#34. Live Oak County
- Life expectancy: 77.6 years
--- 0.4 years higher than the state average
#31. Lavaca County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#31. Schleicher County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#31. Somervell County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.7 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#29. Harris County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.9 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average
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#29. Hidalgo County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 77.9 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average
#28. Archer County
- Life expectancy: 78.0 years
--- 0.8 years higher than the state average
#27. Hansford County
- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- 0.9 years higher than the state average
#26. Lipscomb County
- Life expectancy: 78.2 years
--- 1.0 years higher than the state average
#25. Comal County
- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 1.1 years higher than the state average
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#23. Montgomery County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 1.2 years higher than the state average
#23. Guadalupe County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 1.2 years higher than the state average
#22. Hudspeth County
- Life expectancy: 78.5 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average
#21. Blanco County
- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 1.5 years higher than the state average
#20. Brewster County
- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 1.6 years higher than the state average
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#18. Goliad County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.0 years
--- 1.8 years higher than the state average
#18. Shackelford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.0 years
--- 1.8 years higher than the state average
#17. Brazos County
- Life expectancy: 79.2 years
--- 2.0 years higher than the state average
#16. Sherman County
- Life expectancy: 79.3 years
--- 2.1 years higher than the state average
#15. Rockwall County
- Life expectancy: 79.6 years
--- 2.4 years higher than the state average
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#13. Hays County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.8 years
--- 2.6 years higher than the state average
#13. Gillespie County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.8 years
--- 2.6 years higher than the state average
#11. Hartley County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 80.1 years
--- 2.9 years higher than the state average
#11. Jeff Davis County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 80.1 years
--- 2.9 years higher than the state average
#10. Mason County
- Life expectancy: 80.5 years
--- 3.3 years higher than the state average
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#9. Travis County
- Life expectancy: 80.6 years
--- 3.4 years higher than the state average
#8. Kendall County
- Life expectancy: 80.7 years
--- 3.5 years higher than the state average
#7. Denton County
- Life expectancy: 80.9 years
--- 3.7 years higher than the state average
#6. Williamson County
- Life expectancy: 81.0 years
--- 3.8 years higher than the state average
#5. Hemphill County
- Life expectancy: 81.1 years
--- 3.9 years higher than the state average
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#4. Fort Bend County
- Life expectancy: 81.4 years
--- 4.2 years higher than the state average
#3. Collin County
- Life expectancy: 81.6 years
--- 4.4 years higher than the state average
#2. Concho County
- Life expectancy: 81.7 years
--- 4.5 years higher than the state average
#1. Presidio County
- Life expectancy: 83.1 years
--- 5.9 years higher than the state average
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kiersten Hickman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.