Fairfax County Ranks #1 in Country for Mens' Life Expectancy

Men who live in Fairfax County on average are living to be 81.1 years old, older on average than men in any other county in the nation, according to a new study out from the University of Washington. The average life expectancy for men in the United States is 75.6 according to the study.

Fairfax County men live, on average, longer than men who live in Japan or Australia, the study said.

The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington released a county-by-county breakdown of life expectancies and Fairfax County came out on top--for men. Women in Fairfax County live on average to 83.8 years old.

Collier County, Fla., holds the top spot for women's life expectancy, at 86 years. That average is higher than the countries of Spain, France and Switzerland.

Researchers found that across U.S. counties, life expectancy in 2007 ranged from 65.9 to 81.1 years for men and 73.5 to 86 years for women. Geographically, the counties with the lowest life expectancies for both sexes were in counties in Appalachia and the Deep South, extending across northern Texas. Counties with the highest life expectancies tended to be in the northern Plains and along the Pacific coast and the Eastern Seaboard.

Other areas of Northern Virginia average life expectancies, according to the study, are:

Alexandria: 78.3 years for men; 83.6 for women.

Arlington: 79.7 years for men; 83.3 for women.

Fairfax County: 81.1 years for men; 83.8 for women.

Fairfax City: 76.6 years for men; 82.1 for women.

Falls Church: 79.7 years for men; 83.3 for women.

The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation was created in 2007 through funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the state of Washington. To see more of the study, go here.