Folks in SC have shorter lives than those in most other states, study shows. Here’s how short & why
Living a long, healthy life doesn’t just depend on personal habits — it also depends on where you live.
Your state’s environment, access to healthcare, walkability and even grocery store options all play a role in how long you live.
Nursa, a digital healthcare platform, analyzed life expectancy across all 50 states and found that South Carolina ranks as the 10th worst in the nation.
With an average life expectancy of just 73.5 years, the state falls nearly five years below the national average of 78.4 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s what to know about this study and why South Carolina has such a low ranking.
How life expectancy rankings were calculated
To find out which states support healthier, longer lives, Nursa developed the Healthy States Index, which scores each state based on:
- Access to public resources like parks, gyms, pools and walking routes
- Availability of healthy vs. unhealthy food options
- Pollution levels from the Environmental Protection Agency
- Smoking rates
- Hospital readmission rates
- Overall life expectancy and health data from the CDC
All data was calculated per 100,000 residents and scored using a percent-rank system to create a fair comparison across all states.
Why is life expectancy so low in SC?
South Carolina’s ranking reflects a few ongoing health challenges, some of the major ones outlined in this study include:
- High smoking rates: South Carolina has a high adult smoking rate, sitting at 17.68%. The CDC states that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death.
- Access to health-focused resources: This study found that the Palmetto State has a total of 8 parks and 7 gyms per 100,000 people.
- Healthy food options: South Carolina has a total of 1,230 healthy grocery stores compared to the 1,853 unhealthy grocery stores available for the 5.5 million residents in the state.
How does South Carolina compare?
Bottom 10 states by life expectancy:
- Mississippi: 70.9 years
- West Virginia: 71 years
- Alabama: 72 years
- Louisiana: 72.2 years
- Kentucky: 72.3 years
- Tennessee: 72.4 years
- Arkansas: 72.5 years
- Oklahoma: 72.7 years
- New Mexico: 73 years
- South Carolina: 73.5 years
Top 10 states by life expectancy:
- Hawaii: 79.9 years
- Massachusetts: 79.6 years
- Connecticut: 79.2 years
- New Jersey: 79 years
- New York: 79 years
- Minnesota: 78.8 years
- New Hampshire: 78.5 years
- Rhode Island: 78.5 years
- Vermont: 78.4 years
- California: 78.3 years
For more information on this study, visit Nursa’s webpage or the Healthy States Index.
This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Folks in SC have shorter lives than those in most other states, study shows. Here’s how short & why."
