Miles away, years apart: In Shelby County, where you live impacts how long you’ll live
Different census tracts in Shelby County vary wildly in socioeconomics and environment, so much so that expected life spans range from 65.3 years up to 84.6 years in the county. (Photos by Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
For residents of one pocket of Binghampton, the average life expectancy is about 66 years. A few miles away, in East Memphis’ River Oaks, residents can expect to live about 18 years longer.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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