{"id":2598239,"date":"2026-05-03T13:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-are-americans-in-one-region-dying-years-earlier-than-rest-of-country\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T13:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:41:59","slug":"why-are-americans-in-one-region-dying-years-earlier-than-rest-of-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-are-americans-in-one-region-dying-years-earlier-than-rest-of-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Americans in One Region Dying Years Earlier Than Rest of Country?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-are-americans-in-one-region-dying-years-earlier-than-rest-of-country%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598239&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Life expectancy in many Southern U.S. states is generally lower than in other regions. Researchers and analysts say the cause is not a single factor, but rather a combination of higher rates of chronic diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and some cancers), reduced access to preventive care, and higher numbers of uninsured or underinsured people. Other <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >contributors mentioned include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-sprawling-bill-overwhelms-democratic-effort-to-sink-it\/\" title=\"Trump&#039;s sprawling bill overwhelms Democratic effort to sink it\">rural hospital closures<\/a><\/a>, transportation barriers, persistent poverty, and broader national stressors like alcohol-related illness, opioid addiction, suicide, and \u201cdeaths of despair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>National data show U.S.life expectancy increased slightly in 2024, while age-adjusted death rates declined. Still, the South has remained a concentration of lower life expectancy, while the West and Northeast tend to fare better. Evidence in recent years also suggests that life expectancy has changed little for many Southern populations for people born in the early 1900s to 2000, whereas some Northeastern and Western areas saw larger improvements.<\/p>\n<p>Experts also argue that these outcomes are linked to interrelated social and economic conditions-income, employment, housing, nutrition, education, and access to medical care-along with health behaviors. Some commentary notes that low walkability and car-dependent environments in parts of the South may further affect health. The article concludes that while disparities are clear, the exact reasons are complex and likely reflect multiple overlapping drivers, many of which could possibly be improved thru earlier detection, better chronic-disease management, stronger primary care access, and healthier aging strategies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Southerners have a lower life expectancy than people living in other U.S. states, which experts attribute to several possible factors.<\/p>\n<p>Several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uab.edu\/news\/research-innovation\/cardiovascular-health-is-poorest-among-american-adults-in-the-southern-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">studies<\/a> have shown that Americans in some areas of the Southern U.S. often have lower life expectancy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mphonline.org\/southern-public-health-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">poorer<\/a> overall health than those who live in other regions of the country. Analysts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that factors such as a lack of quality healthcare, lower medical insurance access and unhealthy habits may be contributing to poor health among some Southern Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Lower life expectancy in some Southern parts of the country may result from higher chronic disease rates and rural hospital closures, according to a spokesperson for the Lifespan Research Institute (LRI), a nonprofit group which <a href=\"https:\/\/lifespan.io\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">focuses<\/a> on \u201cstrategically driving forward science to extend healthy human lifespan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no single explanation,\u201d the LRI spokesperson told the DCNF. \u201cIn many Southern states, lower life expectancy appears to reflect a combination of higher chronic disease rates, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and certain cancers, along with lower access to preventive care, higher uninsured or underinsured populations in some areas, rural hospital closures, transportation barriers, and persistent poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is also important to view this in the broader national context,\u201d they added. \u201cU.S. life expectancy has also been pressured by alcohol-related disease, opioid addiction, suicide, and other deaths of despair. While these trends are national rather than uniquely Southern, they have added strain in many communities already facing economic stress, chronic illness, and limited healthcare access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container = document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script = document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src = \"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement = document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex = paragraphs.findIndex(p => p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex === -1 || targetIndex < x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer = new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries) => { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry => { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve = findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In Southern states such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee, life expectancy tends to be between five to ten years shorter than in other regions of the nation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornellhealthcarereview.org\/post\/life-expectancy-in-the-southern-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a January 2024 report from The Cornell Healthcare Review, which notes that the exact reason for lower life expectancy in these states is not currently known.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, life expectancy for the U.S. population was 79.0 years, marking an increase of 0.6 years from 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db548.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) published in January. Meanwhile, the age-adjusted death rate dropped 3.8% from 750.5 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population in 2023 to 722.1 in 2024, the NCHS reported.<\/p>\n<p>The LRI spokesperson also told the DCNF that the \u201ckey point is that many of these outcomes are preventable,\u201d adding \u201cearlier detection, better risk-factor management, stronger primary care access, and healthier aging strategies could significantly improve both lifespan and quality of life [in these states].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From 2022 to 2023, most of the U.S. states with shorter life expectancies were concentrated in the South, while those with longer-life expectancies were largely located in the West and Northeast, USAFacts <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/articles\/which-states-have-highest-and-lowest-life-expectancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> in March 2025, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n<p>A study released in April 2025 showed that life expectancy saw minimal change for Americans born between 1900 and 2000 in many Southern states, particularly among women, CBS News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/life-expectancy-americans-us-south-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. However, several Northeastern and Western states, along with Washington, D.C., saw life expectancy dramatically improve during the same period.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, living in walkable communities can also help to improve some people\u2019s health, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornellhealthcarereview.org\/post\/designing-for-walkability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to The Cornell Healthcare Review. Many residents of certain Southern U.S. cities are <a href=\"https:\/\/thesouthern.com\/key-takeaways\/article_b5486e7c-b86f-514c-9d41-fb595b82458f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">often<\/a> car-dependent.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2025, some of the least walkable cities across the nation included Arlington, Texas, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, Radical Storage <a href=\"https:\/\/radicalstorage.com\/travel\/most-walkable-cities-in-the-us\/#:~:text=Least%20Walkable%20Cities%20in%20the,crossings%2C%20and%20pedestrian%2Dhostile%20environments\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most important answer here is that no one really knows,\u201d Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the CATO Institute, told the DCNF. \u201cThese issues are extremely complex. We can observe disparities in life expectancies and other measures of health. We can observe correlations between those disparities and disparities in factors that influence health, [such as] income [and] employment, housing, nutrition, education, access to health insurance [or] medical care, crime, stress, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLots of these factors influence each other, often in both directions,\u201d he continued. \u201cLow income can cause poor health, but poor health can cause low income. Lots of people offer theories with great confidence. Many of those theories are probably correct. But these issues are so complex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cannon went on to say that some Southerners are facing several major barriers to improving their overall health, like less access to medical care as well as financial hurdles from having low incomes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving said that, the safest thing to say is that southern states likely exhibit poorer health measures due to a combination of factors like low incomes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/tobacco\/campaign\/tips\/resources\/data\/cigarette-smoking-in-united-states.html#by_census\">unhealthy behaviors<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aanp.org\/advocacy\/state\/state-practice-environment\">over-regulation<\/a>, less access to healthcare, etc.,\u201d Cannon said.<\/p>\n<p>Residents of Southern U.S. states tend to die earlier from a range of chronic illnesses compared to those in other parts of the country, <a href=\"https:\/\/stories.tamu.edu\/news\/2018\/02\/05\/5-charts-show-why-the-south-is-the-least-healthy-region-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a February 2018 report from Texas A&#038;M University. Meanwhile, infectious diseases such as whooping cough, salmonella and chlamydia are also more prevalent across the region, especially in Louisiana and the Carolinas, per the report.<\/p>\n<p>A Journal of the American Heart Association <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/10.1161\/JAHA.117.008078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a> published in July 2018 found that people with a history of heart disease who ate a traditional \u201cSouthern\u201d diet \u2014 which includes added fats, fried food and egg dishes \u2014\u00a0had a higher risk of death compared to those who stuck to a Mediterranean-style diet.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, there were 1.63 million excess deaths among black Americans relative to white Americans over the past two decades, KFF <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/rural-health\/black-american-south-carolina-health-disparities-medicaid-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> in October 2024. As of 2023, 56% of the U.S.\u2019 black population were living in the South, while another 17% lived in the Midwest and Northeast and 10% lived in the West, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/race-and-ethnicity\/fact-sheet\/facts-about-the-us-black-population\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a Pew Research Center fact sheet released in January 2025.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Southerners live less long than other Americans, due to multiple health-related factors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2598240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7882.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[79026,57654,79027,79028],"class_list":["post-2598239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-health-disparities","tag-life-expectancy","tag-premature-mortality","tag-regional-inequality"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7882.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598239"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598243,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598239\/revisions\/2598243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}