All but one of the 75 counties in Arkansas had life expectancies lower than the national average. Benton County in northwest Arkansas had the longest life expectancy, which was 79.7 years. Monroe County had the shortest life expectancy of 70.6 years. This is a 9-year difference in life expectancy compared to Benton County. There were 15 counties with life expectancies that were 6 to 8 years shorter than Benton County. These were Chicot, Cleveland, Sharp, Ouachita, Bradley, Calhoun, Randolph, Jefferson, Cross, Jackson, Clay, Poinsett, Desha, Phillips, Mississippi, Monroe counties (in order of higher to lower life expectancies). Most of the counties with the lowest life expectancies are in the delta region along the eastern border of Arkansas, while many others are in the southwest part of the state.

Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a person is predicted to live, based on the death rates for the year being studied.  In 2016 the average life expectancy in Arkansas was 75.8 years. This was shorter than the U.S. life expectancy, which was 78.6 years. 

Measuring premature mortality, rather than overall mortality, focuses attention on deaths that could have been prevented. Measuring Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) allows communities to target resources to high-risk areas and further investigate the causes of premature death. YPLL is a widely used measure of the rate and distribution of premature mortality. The measure was introduced mainly because simple mortality rates do not fully address the issue of premature death, the impact of disease and death, and their costs to society.

Profile Measure Data Source: Arkansas Department of Health, Health Statistics Branch