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Race and Place Play a Role in Shorter Life Expectancy, Study Finds

American life expectancy isn’t just about genetics or personal choices—it’s also about where people live and the racial or ethnic groups they belong to. A recent study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington lays out a stark reality: Some groups in specific regions are living decades less than others.

Indigenous Americans Face the Shortest Lifespans

Life expectancy among American Indians in Western and Midwestern states was just 63.6 years in 2021. That’s more than 20 years shorter than the national average for Asian Americans, who typically live to 84. The gap is stunning and highlights the deep inequalities baked into the country’s health care, economic, and social structures.

Dr. Ali Mokdad, a co-author of the study, noted that location plays a critical role. “Not everybody in this country is doing exactly the same even within a racial group, because it also depends on where they live,” he said.

In some places, the numbers are even worse. South Dakota’s Oglala Lakota County had one of the lowest life expectancies in the country at just 60.1 years as of 2024, according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

White and Black Communities Also See Stark Disparities

It’s not just Indigenous Americans who are seeing shorter lifespans. White residents in Appalachia and certain Southern states have significantly lower life expectancies than their counterparts in other regions. Black Americans, especially those in highly segregated cities and rural Southern communities, also experience shorter lives due to systemic issues like poor health care access, economic struggles, and racial segregation.

American Indian health disparities

Dr. Donald Warne, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, pointed to “toxic stress” and “just pure racism” as major contributors to these disparities. He emphasized that factors like lack of access to healthy food, chronic stress from racism, and historical trauma are leading to worse health outcomes for marginalized groups.

Federal Policy Changes Could Worsen the Situation

The new Trump administration has made sweeping moves to reduce public visibility on racial and ethnic health disparities. In just two weeks, the administration has:

  • Stripped race and ethnicity health data from public websites
  • Blocked public communications from federal health agencies
  • Paused federal research and grant spending on racial health disparities
  • Ordered a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies

The administration even removed clinical trial diversity data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website, making it harder for researchers to track whether medical treatments are being tested across different populations.

Warne is alarmed by these moves, saying, “With the stroke of a pen, they’re gonna make it worse.”

The Need for Equity-Based Solutions

Experts argue that eliminating these disparities will require significant investment in equitable health care, education, and employment opportunities. The study’s authors stress that systemic racism is a key driver of these inequalities, and tackling these issues head-on is the only way to close the life expectancy gap.

However, with the current administration rolling back equity programs, the future looks uncertain. A 2021 Biden executive order aimed at boosting federal support for Indigenous education, including tribal colleges, was reversed on Trump’s first day in office. Without these kinds of programs, experts warn that already vulnerable communities will face even greater challenges in the years ahead.

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