Health & Fitness

How Long Do People Live in Bronxville, Tuckahoe and Eastchester?

A new study breaks down longevity by congressional district. See how we stack up.

A new study shows that people in New York’s 16th Congressional District, which includes Bronxville, Tuckahoe and Eastchester, have an average life expectancy of 81.6 years.

That statistic means we rank 58th among the country’s 435 congressional districts.

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. It includes data not only on life expectancy but also education, median earnings, age, and amount spent on housing.

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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.

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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.

At 14th, District 17, which comprises central and northeast Westchester and all of Rockland County, is much higher ranked than its Lower Hudson Valley neighbors. The average life expectancy there is 82.6 years.

As mentioned, District 16, southern Westchester, is ranked 58th.

At 112th, the 18th Congressional District, which spans the horse country of northeast Westchester to the black dirt region of Orange County, is down in the second quartile. The average life expectancy there is 80.5 years.

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.

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

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