This North Carolina County Has The Shortest Life Expectancy

If you've read about the county with the longest life expectancy in North Carolina, you may have also wondered which counties lie on the opposite side of the spectrum. Using data from the 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Stacker compiled a list of the counties in North Carolina with the shortest life expectancy in comparison to others in the state.

According to the site, life expectancy in the U.S. was on the rise between 1960 and 2019 but has since hit an obstacle that has started a decline since 2020, including COVID-19, opioid epidemic, drug overdoses and other unintentional injuries.

So which county has the shortest life expectancy in North Carolina?

Swain County

According to the report, the average life expectancy in Swain County is 70.6 years, 7.1 years less than the average for the state. The western North Carolina county also ranks No. 100 in length of life, No. 96 in statewide health outcomes, and No. 80 in quality of life.

These are the Top 10 counties in North Carolina with the shortest life expectancy:

1. Swain County
2. Robeson County
3. Edgecombe County
4. Halifax County
5. TIED: Richmond County and Scotland County
6. N/A
7. Vance County
8. Anson County
9. Columbus County
10. Lenoir County

Check out Stacker's full list of the counties with the shortest life expectancy in the state.