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 Virginia. 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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#32. Madison County
- Life expectancy: 78.1 years
--- Same as state average
#31. King George County
- Life expectancy: 78.2 years
--- 0.1 years higher than the state average
#29. Botetourt County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#29. Hanover County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.3 years
--- 0.2 years higher than the state average
#27. Rappahannock County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
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#27. Poquoson (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.4 years
--- 0.3 years higher than the state average
#26. Roanoke County
- Life expectancy: 78.5 years
--- 0.4 years higher than the state average
#22. Greene County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#22. Highland County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#22. Augusta County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
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#22. Harrisonburg (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
--- 0.5 years higher than the state average
#19. Powhatan County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 0.6 years higher than the state average
#19. Frederick County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 0.6 years higher than the state average
#19. Charlottesville (tie)
- Life expectancy: 78.7 years
--- 0.6 years higher than the state average
#18. Spotsylvania County
- Life expectancy: 78.8 years
--- 0.7 years higher than the state average
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#17. Rockingham County
- Life expectancy: 79.0 years
--- 0.9 years higher than the state average
#16. Virginia Beach
- Life expectancy: 79.2 years
--- 1.1 years higher than the state average
#13. Montgomery County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average
#13. Prince George County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average
#13. Stafford County (tie)
- Life expectancy: 79.4 years
--- 1.3 years higher than the state average
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#12. Fauquier County
- Life expectancy: 79.5 years
--- 1.4 years higher than the state average
#11. Fluvanna County
- Life expectancy: 79.7 years
--- 1.6 years higher than the state average
#10. Goochland County
- Life expectancy: 80.1 years
--- 2.0 years higher than the state average
#9. Prince William County
- Life expectancy: 81.0 years
--- 2.9 years higher than the state average
#8. York County
- Life expectancy: 81.1 years
--- 3.0 years higher than the state average
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#7. Albemarle County
- Life expectancy: 81.9 years
--- 3.8 years higher than the state average
#6. James City County
- Life expectancy: 82.0 years
--- 3.9 years higher than the state average
#5. Alexandria
- Life expectancy: 82.5 years
--- 4.4 years higher than the state average
#4. Loudoun County
- Life expectancy: 84.1 years
--- 6.0 years higher than the state average
#3. Arlington County
- Life expectancy: 84.7 years
--- 6.6 years higher than the state average
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#2. Fairfax County
- Life expectancy: 84.9 years
--- 6.8 years higher than the state average
#1. Manassas Park
- Life expectancy: 85.3 years
--- 7.2 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.