How Long Do People Live in Haddonfield and Haddon Township?

How much longer do you have to live?

There may not be a clear answer, but a recent study tackled the question by exploring all 436 congressional districts in the country.

According to the study, called Geographies of Opportunity, the life expectancy of residents in New Jersey’s First Congressional District is 78.1 years. Nationally, the district is ranked 156th.

The study 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.

The study also says a majority of the district’s residents have at least a high school diploma, at 89.3 percent of the district’s population, which was 732,658 as of the 2010 Census. The average income is $35,110.

The First Congressional District includes 36 municipalities in Camden County, including Haddonfield and Haddon Township; 14 municipalities in Gloucester County; and Maple Shade and Palmyra in Burlington County.

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