A couple of days ago, I posted about new data regarding life expectancy: here and here.
Today’s post covers only the Savannah metro area. For all of this local data, I’ll put the equivalent national number in parentheses.
For men in Chatham County, life expectancy has increased — local numbers followed by national in parentheses:
- 1987: 68.4 (71.3)
- 1997: 71.1 (73.7)
- 2007: 73 (75.6)
It’s increased for women too, but — like in the country as a whole — at a slower rate than for men:
- 1987: 75.9 (78.4)
- 1997: 77.9 (79.6)
- 2007: 78.4 (80.8)
Note that the rate of increase for both men and women was greater from 1987 to 1997 than from 1997 to 2007.
For white men:
- 1987: 70.6 (72.1)
- 1997: 73.6 (74.4)
- 2007: 75 (76.1)
For black men:
- 1987: Â 64.4 (64.2)
- 1997: Â 66.7 (67.1)
- 2007: 69.3 (70)
For white women:
- 1987: 77.9 (79)
- 1997: 79.8 (80.1)
- 2007: 80 (81.2)
For black women:
- 1987: Â 72.6 Â (73.1)
- 1997: 74.9 (75)
- 2007: 75.8 (77.1)
This data seems to follow pretty close to national trends in many respects, although Chatham County life expectancy for all groups is below the national averages, just as it has been for decades. And it has dropped a little more behind in the most recent decade. I will also note that the data for women shows an especially problematic trend: while life expectancy is increasing, women in Chatham County used to be very close to the national average, but lagged behind the trend from 1997 to 2007. In fact, all demographic groups in Chatham County lost ground relative to the national trends from 1997 to 2007.
There is not enough data by race for a breakdown for the other counties in the Savannah metro area — Effingham and Bryan — but here’s the general data, again followed by national averages:
Bryan County men:
- 1987: 69.5 (71.3)
- 1997: 72.1 (73.7)
- 2007: 73.7 Â (75.6)
Bryan County women:
- 1987: 77.9 (78.4)
- 1997: 78.8 (79.6)
- 2007: 78.9 (80.8)
Effingham County men:
- 1987: Â 70.5 (71.3)
- 1997: Â 72.7 (73.7)
- 2007: Â 74.4 (75.6)
Effingham County women:
- 1987: 77.7 (78.4)
- 1997: 79 (79.6)
- 2007: Â 78.8 (80.8)
Note again the very small changes that show local life expectancy increases lagging behind national trends. And note that the life expectancy for women in Effingham County fell from 1997 to 2007, while the life expectancy for women in Bryan County increased by only .1 year from 1997 to 2007.
The raw data can be accessed through the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.