Gene Balk is back with another round of interesting findings via census data. This time he's letting us know about a study on life expectancy to see where in the Seattle-area you might be able to eek out a couple more years on average. What he found is that while it might not take that long to drive from Auburn to Bellevue, it makes a world of a difference in how long you might be around.
In affluent West Bellevue, folks enjoy the highest life expectancy in King County — 86.2 years, according to public-health data derived from death records. The county’s shortest life span is in economically-challenged South Auburn, at just 76.6 years.
Of course there's a fairly obvious explanation and it comes back to the different between living an upper class life and a working class life. Though, there's apparently more to it than just that. Adverse health outcomes (smoking, hypertension, chronic diseases) all play a part as well. Even factors such as neighborhood safety and access to health foods hve a role in determining longevity.
Looking around Seattle, the downtown region is the worst place to live in terms of longevity. The best spots? Queen Anne, Magnolia and Northeast Seattle.
According to the study, those in the lowest income bracket in King County have a life expectancy of 80.5 years, which is actually higher than the national average by a year. King County itself is 30th overall amongst the 100 largest counties in America.
· In King County, your address may tell you how long you’ll live [FYI]