How does the life expectancy in Hamilton County stack up to all other of the 95 counties in Tennessee?
Drumroll, please!
In data reviewed in a statewide analysis by Stacker using data from the 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Tennessee’s fourth most populous county is rated number 10 of 95 in longevity!
Taking Tennessee’s average life expectancy as the dividing line, Stacker looked at counties whose citizens lived longer than the mean in the Volunteer State. Specifically, the data came from the average number of years one is expected to live calculated on the number of deaths with risk factors noted within the same time period of analysis, and was provided by the National Vital Statistics System.
Factors which contribute to one’s life expectancy include genetics; health habits such as smoking, one’s diet, weight, physical activity; and, as noted in this analysis, the community in which one may live which either fosters well-being or causes struggle.
See where various counties fall in the top twenty and note a few surprises when comparing to the Tennessee average life expectancy of 74.1 years of age.
- Williamson County, which includes Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee, tops the list with an average lifespan of 81.3 years, beating the state average by 7.2 years.
- Moore County, home to Jack Daniels Distillery, but a dry county (yep!), is home to those living 3.3 years longer than Tennessee’s average citizen.
- Wilson County, just east of Nashville, is community for those with a life expectancy of 76.6 years young, which is 2.5 years higher than most Tennesseans.
- Bledsoe County, home to just over about 15,000 situated within the Cumberland Plateau within the county seat of Pikeville, bests the state by 2.4 years with a life expectancy of 76.5 years.
- A four-way tie for fifth includes counties from various regions of the state all of which have residents whose life expectancy is 76.2 years of age, 2.1 years longer than the state average.
- Loudon County, located in Eastern Tennessee just off I-75 north headed to Knoxville on Tennessee’s River southwest of Knoxville is home to about 55,000 people.
- Sumner County, one of Middle Tennessee’s most northern counties bordering Kentucky with the county seat of Gallatin with a population of just under 200,000.
- Rutherford County, the fifth most populous county with almost 370,000 residents and home to Murfreesboro just southeast of Nashville.
- Fayette County, located immediately east of Shelby County and Memphis, with Somerville as its county seat and a population of about 42,000.
9. Pickett County residents live to be an average of 76.1 years, with its tiny population of around 5,000 Tennesseans living on the Kentucky border.
10. Hamilton County residents live to be an average of 76 years, 1.9 years longer than average Tennesseans in our county of almost 367,000.
Where we work, raise our families, and choose to put down roots to live does make a difference in quality of life. Appreciate the Hamilton County lifespan!