How Long Do People Live in Walpole?

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

Relatively speaking, people in Walpole can bank on living to a pretty ripe age, if a new study of life expectancy within congressional districts across the country is any indication.

Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District, which includes Walpole, ranks 31st in the list, showing a median life expectancy of 80.9 for residents of the district. According to the chart, that’s close to other Massachusetts Districts, such as 2 and 5, which are both slightly above 81 years.

The study, called Geographies of Opportunity, was published last week by the Social Science Research Council, as part of their ongoing effort to track disparities in quality of life across America.

According to the study, the average life expectancy in the United States is now 79.1 years, an increase of almost four years over life expectancy in 1990. But according to the researchers, some Americans, especially African Americans and some Southerners, have seen far less of an increase. A few parts of the South have seen no increase at all.

The longest life expectancy in the U.S. is in California’s 19th Congressional district, which includes San Jose and part of Santa Clara County, where people live 83.9 years on average, or roughly as long as people in Japan.

The lowest life expectancy is in rural southeastern Kentucky, where people live just under 73 years, or about as long as residents of the Gaza Strip.

The study’s authors say a variety of factors affect life expectancy, from access to health insurance to race and employment opportunities. But the study also lists four factors it dubs the “fatal four,” which can shorten lifespan dramatically: smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and alcohol abuse.

Photo Credit: Geographies of Opportunity, The Social Science Research Council, Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis.