People In This Part of America Live 34 Years Longer Than Average

24/7 Wall St. Insights

A stunning nine of the best 40 counties across the U.S. are located in a single US state– do you live in one of them?
One county on this list, has an average life expectancy of 112.5 years, which is nearly three decades higher than the American average life expectancy.
The best counties are usually decided by a holistic measure similar to the Human Development Index which looks at education, financial stability, and life expectancy.
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Earlier in 2024, a U.S. News Healthiest Communities analysis found Nassau County, New York to be the safest county across the entire nation. Nassau County, which is located in Long Island, comprises multiple cities including Great Neck, Hempstead, Syosset, and East Meadow (among others). Its ranking of safest county was determined by a perfect 100/100 safety score; the county was also found to spend a solid amount on emergency and healthcare services. While Nassau County may now hold a reputation as the safest place to be in America, safety isn’t the only thing that goes into deciding the best places to live. Other factors that people should consider when looking to relocate include environmental qualities, access to quality education, recreation, community, and poverty levels. Choosing the best county to live in can actually positively affect your health and quality of life. (Nassau County might be safe, but here are the most dangerous cities in the world.)

Despite the U.S. having high levels of wealth and a strong economy, the U.S. also lags behind many other countries with similar democratic, free market values. For example, life expectancy at birth has fallen for two consecutive years in the U.S., according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. At just 76 years as of 2021, life expectancy in the U.S. is the seventh lowest among the 38 OECD member states.

The Human Development Index is another, more holistic measure of wellbeing that shows the U.S. falls behind many of its global peers. The HDI, created by the United Nations Development Programme, is made up of three components: educational attainment, financial stability, and life expectancy, and is designed to capture a country’s development potential and overall quality of life. According to the latest HDI report, the U.S. ranks behind 19 other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. However, when applied to geographies within the U.S., the HDI reveals that in many parts of the country, quality of life is on par with some of the highest ranking nations in the U.N.’s report.

Using an index inspired by the HDI, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 40 best U.S. counties across the U.S. to live in. Counties and county equivalents, including independent cities, are ranked on a combination of three measures — average life expectancy at birth, the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and poverty rate. Data used to calculate rankings are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. All ACS data are five-year averages, and this is the most up-to-date data at this time. Counties with incomplete data were excluded from analysis. To avoid geographic clustering, we only included one county per metropolitan statistical area.

The 40 counties and county equivalents on this list are spread across the country, including five in the Northeast, six in the Midwest, 11 in the South, and 18 in the West. In each of these 40 counties, average life expectancy at birth exceeds the national average by at least two years, according to data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Most of these places also have poverty rates that are at least 4 percentage points below the 12.5% U.S. poverty rate, and in all but six of these counties, over half of all adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to only about one-third of all adults nationwide. (Unlike these counties below, this is the poorest city in ever U.S. state.)

Most of these places also have relatively high-earning populations. Even though income was not considered in the ranking, in every county but one on this list, the typical household earns more than the national median household income of $75,149 — in most cases, by tens of thousands of dollars. Though there isn’t a direct correlation between safety and positive HDI scores, the best counties to live in are often more financially stable and can invest in safety measures in infrastructures. That being said, while Nassau County might be safe, it did not land a spot on this list.

These are the 40 best U.S. counties to live in:

Why We Felt This Was Important to Share

Happy Asian senior man friends golfing on golf course fairway together at country club. Healthy elderly people golfer enjoy outdoor lifestyle leisure activity golf sport on summer holiday vacation.

Choosing somewhere to live can be challenging. There are so many factors that go into living your best life. But you need more than just a nice neighborhood to thrive. By looking at the best counties to live in America, you can see what really goes into improving quality of life. If you’re getting ready to move, or thinking about the idea in the future, understanding what counties are ranking high in health, finances, and education can help you choose the best place for your needs.