I'm in my forties now and the fact that my life is most likely half over is really been freaking me out lately. If I only knew how long I would live. If you could, would you wanna know? I guess I wouldn't.

My grandmother drank Manhattans and smoked cigarettes for most of her adult life and lived until she was 82. Not bad, I suppose. She lived longer than the average life expectancy in the country. My father succumbed to prostate cancer at 64. Go figure.

What determines how long you will live in Massachusetts? Genetics, lifestyle and luck. people underestimate the validity of luck. Some people are just lucky and others are damn unlucky.

While life expectancy generally increases annually in the United States—jumping from about 70.8 years old to 77.5 between 1970 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—this particular metric can vary from state to state or even county to county. -stacker.com

We recently had a gastroenterologist on our radio show and he told us that colon cancer screenings are above 70% here in Berkshire County. Disease and sickness can vary dependent on your geographical location and life expectancies fluctuate.

This Mass. County Sees The Shortest Life Expectancy

Hampden County (City of Springfield is located in Hampden) has the lowest life expectancy in Massachusetts with an age of 76.9.

Berkshire County 77.3 years

Bristol County 77.7 years

Plymouth County 79.0 years

Worcester County 79.0 years

Barnstable County 79.5 years

Essex County 79.7 years

The average life expectancy in the state of Massachusetts is 79.9 years.

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The top ten causes of death in Massachusetts

10. Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis

The main factors that lead to this are viruses, obesity, and alcohol misuse.

9. Kidney Disease

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the main causes of kidney disease.

8. Alzheimer's Disease

The causes probably include a combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.

7. Diabetes

Type 1 you're born with, type 2 you develop with poor diet choices and physical inactivity.

6. Stroke

There are two main causes of stroke, a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).

5. Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases

Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Flu, and more all contribute to this conditions .

4. Accidents

Pedestrian deaths were up 35% last year (2022).

3. Covid-19

The pandemic was still high on the list of leading causes of death in Massachusetts.

2. Heart Disease

Leading risk factors for heart disease and stroke are high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.

1. Cancer

Breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, uterine, and bladder cancers, in that order, are the top types of diagnosed disease in Massachusetts and nationally.