Sun, surf and sand — what’s not to love?
Hawaii was ranked the best place to live for those who want to live healthy and enjoy a high life expectancy, while New York was rated 18th.
Residents in Hawaii have the longest life expectancy of the typical American at an average of 80.7 years, according to a new study published in Life Extension.
The Aloha State was followed by Minnesota, Vermont, Washington and New Hampshire to round out the top five.
On the other end, West Virginia ranked last dead with a life expectancy of 72.8 years, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Kentucky.
“Life expectancy” is generally determined by a number of factors, including healthcare access and murder rates, but the new study also leveraged health as a factor using federal data to find an overall healthy lifestyle ranking.
The ranking takes into account amounts of exercise done, fruit and vegetable consumption, hours of sleep, body weight, proximity to parks and schools, number of single people, anxiety levels and state expenditure on outdoor recreation.
Although Hawaii, which invests “a whopping 4.8%” of its GDP in outdoor recreation, was rated fourth in healthy lifestyle ranking, its life expectancy count still puts it over the top.
Minnesota and Vermont tied for second on the list, with a life expectancy of 79.1 and 78.8, respectively. Vermont notably has the best healthy lifestyle ranking of any state as researchers found the vast majority of residents exercise regularly and eat fruits and vegetables every day.
Washington came in fourth with a life expectancy of 79.2 years and a healthy lifestyle ranking at eight, and New Hampshire was fifth with a life expectancy of 79 years and a healthy lifestyle ranking at seven.
New York was further down the list at No. 18, with a life expectancy of 77.7 years and a healthy lifestyle ranking at 25.
The Empire State and Connecticut notably had the biggest difference between its healthy lifestyle ranking and overall ranking, suggesting residents there were living longer despite their relatively unhealthy lifestyle.
On the other side, Washington DC has a low overall ranking of 23 despite a healthy lifestyle ranking of six.
The study noted the disparity was caused by the city’s size compared to whole states.
It also explained that life expectancy was lower due to “racial disparities in life expectancy, which are long-standing and due in large part to heart disease, cancer and homicide.”
The study found that life expectancy was lower in poorer states that compete with some of the worst healthcare systems and where residents suffer from higher rates of chronic diseases.
The bottom five states on the list had interchangeable healthy lifestyle rankings, with West Virginia still coming last, followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky.
The study ultimately found that America’s life expectancy has declined two years in a row, dropping to 79 years and ranking 40th around the globe.
Japan holds the number one spot with a life expectancy of 84.3 years.