Detroit has a life expectancy of just 77.6 years, but
that city’s Asian Americans can expect to live 89.3 years.
In a response to those who claim America has the “greatest
health care system in the world,” Olga Khazan at The Atlantic has put together
a stunning map of the U.S. that equates life expectancy rates in each state to
nations with similar rates.

The result should be an embarrassment to every American. For
example, Michigan’s life expectancy rate of 78.2 years is equivalent to the
average lifespan in Kuwait. Overall, the U.S. ranks 35th in the world.

As Khazan wrote: “Looking at life expectancy by state, it
becomes clear that where you live in America, at least to some extent,
determines when you’ll die.”

The Atlantic’s correspondent on health issues, Khazan
studied the life expectancy for every state to the tenth of a year using the
data and maps from the Measure
of America, a nonprofit group that tracks human development. Then, she
paired those numbers up with the nearest country by life expectancy from the World
Health Organization’s 2013 data.

“There’s profound variation by state,” she noted, “from a
low of 75 years in Mississippi to a high of 81.3 in Hawaii. Mostly, we resemble
tiny, equatorial hamlets like Kuwait and Barbados. At our worst, we look more
like Malaysia or Oman, and at our best, like the United Kingdom. No state
approaches the life expectancies of most European countries or some Asian ones.
Icelandic people can expect to live a long 83.3 years, and that’s nothing
compared to the Japanese, who live well beyond 84.

“Life expectancy can be causal, a factor of diet,
environment, medical care, and education. But it can also be recursive: People
who are chronically sick are less likely to become wealthy, and thus less
likely to live in affluent areas and have access to the great doctors and
Whole-Foods kale that would have helped them live longer.

“It’s worth noting that the life expectancy for certain
groups within the U.S. can be much higher—or lower—than the norm. The life
expectancy for African Americans is, on average, 3.8 years shorter
than that of whites. Detroit has a life expectancy of just 77.6 years, but that
city’s Asian Americans can expect to live 89.3 years.”

Recent Posts: