This is the Worst County to Live in Michigan

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.

Clare County, Michigan, is centrally located on the state’s Lower Peninsula. A college education is linked to longer life expectancies, greater financial security, and a stronger sense of control over one’s life — and Clare County has one of the lowest bachelor’s degree attainment rates in Michigan. Only 12.6% of the local adult population have a bachelor’s degree or higher, less than half the 29.1% share of adults with a college degree across the state.

Health outcomes in Clare County also lag behind much of the state. Life expectancy at birth in the state is just 74.9 years, over three years shorter than the average across Michigan.

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.