This Is The Worst County To Live In Missouri

Kansas City MO

28 July, 2021

4:24 PM

Description

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. Kansas City 2021-07-28 Life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in the United States in 2020. The decline, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis, represents the most pronounced regression in public health in the United States since World War II. While the most recent dip in life expectancy in the U.S. is alarming, there are many parts of the country where poor health outcomes and other socioeconomic hardships have long been the norm. Using an index of three measures — life expectancy at birth, bachelor's degree attainment, and poverty rate — 24/7 Wall St. identified the worst counties to live in in every state. Pemiscot County ranks as the worst county to live in in Missouri. The local poverty rate of 27.4% is double the 13.7% poverty rate across the state. Health outcomes in the county also lag behind much of the rest of the state. Life expectancy at birth in the state is just 71.5 years, well below the 77.3 year average across Missouri. Like many U.S. counties lagging in key socioeconomic indicators, Pemiscot County's population is shrinking. Over the last five years, the number of people living there fell by 7.5%, even as Missouri's population expanded by 1.3%. Data on bachelor's degree attainment and poverty are from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Data on average life expectancy at birth came from the 2021 County Health Rankings, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and are based on mortality data from the years 2017 to 2019. Supplemental data on population and income are from the ACS, and unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted for May 2021 and are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the worst county to live in every state. Can't see the article's infographic? Click here to view the original story.This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.