This Is The Worst County To Live In Florida

West Palm Beach FL

29 July, 2021

12:54 PM

Description

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. - West Palm Beach 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. Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the country, reporting 8% population growth over the last five years. Hamilton County, however, located in northern Florida along the Georgia border, is bucking the state trend, reporting a 1% population decline over the same period. The worst county to live in in the Sunshine State, Hamilton has a poverty rate of 29.9% — more than double the statewide rate of 14.0%. Health outcomes are also lagging in the county as the local life expectancy at birth is 76.2 years, four years shy of the statewide average. 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.