Short Distances to Big Health Gaps in Middlesex

A ZIP Code is 5 numbers meant to get mail to people—not indicate how long they will live. Unfortunately, though, ZIP Codes that can be just a few miles apart also turn out to represent significant disparities in life expectancy and other measures of good health.

From one ZIP Code to another, differences can be found in such things as the availability of neighborhood safety, and the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink—factors which have a huge influence on whether we get sick in the first place.

Closing these health gaps and creating health equity through public policies is the focus of a new report from the New Jersey-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which recommends a comprehensive series of steps to help close health gaps, broaden opportunity, and help everyone in New Jersey—no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make—to live the healthiest life possible.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's life expectancy tool illustrates that opportunities to lead a long and healthy life can vary dramatically by neighborhood. The aim of this tool is to be a resource to raise awareness of factors that shape health and spur discussion and action on a an interconnected web of factors that influence health.

To find out the average life expectancy in your town, click here.