Your ZIP Code May Influence How Long You Live

The average life expectancy in the United States is 78.6 years, but whether you’ll live that long, or longer, depends upon what neighborhood you call home, according to a new report.

Using the most up-to-date information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Health Statistics and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a first-of-its-kind neighborhood-level report on life expectancy.

The report shows that life expectancy can vary greatly even on a block-to-block level. But the average life expectancy in Middlesex County is 81.6 years, which is higher than both the statewide average of 80.4 years and the national average of 78.6, while neighboring Suffolk County/Boston has an average of 79.9 years.

“Affordable high-quality health care is essential to our health. But where we live can have an even greater impact,” reads the report. “Improving health and longevity in communities starts with ensuring access to healthy food, good schools, affordable housing, and jobs that provide us the resources necessary to care for ourselves and our families.”

The project also allows residents across the United States and most of Massachusetts to look up their neighborhood’s life expectancy by ZIP Code or by exact address.