Delaware’s average life expectancy is in the middle of the pack when compared with other states around the country, but people in some ZIP codes are expected to live longer or shorter lives than the state average.  

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics Reports shows that in 2020 – the most recent year state data is available for – Delaware ranked No. 27 for life expectancy in the United States, with an average lifespan of 76.7 years. The lifespan for males and females in Delaware both ranked No. 28, with the former at an average lifespan of 73.9 years and the latter at 79.5 years. 

According to the 2020 data, Hawaii has the highest life expectancy at 80.7 years, while Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy at 71.9 years. In Delaware, some census tracts have a life expectancy well below Mississippi’s average.  

Delaware cities with the best life expectancy  

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics created an interactive online map showing the average life expectancy for cities across the U.S. based on cartographic census tract boundaries from 2010 to 2015.

Census tracts for each state are color-coded based on the average life expectancy for its area. Dark red is an average lifespan of 56.9 years to 75.1 years; pink is 75.2 years to 77.5 years; light blue is 77.6 years to 79.6 years; blue is 79.6 years to 81.6 years; and dark blue is 81.7 years to 97.5 years. 

Some of the best life expectancies in each Delaware county are as follows:  

New Castle County 

• Communities near western Middletown along Route 301, which have an average lifespan of 82.6 years.  

• Milford Crossroads and communities near Newark, which have an average lifespan of 83.4 and 83.3 years, respectively. 

• Pike Creek, which has an average lifespan of 82.7 years.  

• Greenville, with an average lifespan of 86.1 years. The surrounding communities of Centreville, Winterthur, Rockland and Alapocas trail with lifespans ranging from 82.2 years to 84.6 years.  

• Brandywine Hundred with an average lifespan of 83 years.  

Kent County 

None of the census tracts in Kent County report values in the dark blue category on the CDC’s map. Only three census tracts are recorded in the blue category, which are: 

• Rodney Village and nearby communities, which have an average lifespan of 79.7 years.  

• Some communities north of Route 8 and south of Cheswold, which includes the boundaries for Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, have an average lifespan of 81.1 years.  

• Western portions of Dover, west of Route 15, which have an average lifespan of 81.2 years.  

Sussex County 

• The southern half of Laurel, and areas below the city, which have an average lifespan of 81.8 years.  

• The area between Broadkill Beach and Lewes, which has an average lifespan of 84.8 years.  

• Edward H. McCabe Preserve to Route 9, which has an average lifespan of 82.2 years. 

• The coastal area from Dewey Beach to the Coast Guard Station at Indian River Inlet, which has a lifespan of 84.7 years. 

• Northeast Millville, Ocean View and areas through Little Assawoman Bay, which have a lifespan of 82.2 years.  

Delaware cities with the worst life expectancy 

Some of the worst life expectancies in each Delaware county are as follows: 

New Castle County 

• Ogletown, near Christiana Hospital, which has an average lifespan of 74.7 years.  

• Stanton, which has an average lifespan ranging from 72.8 years to 73.7 years.  

• Communities in and near Elsmere, which have average lifespans ranging from 74.2 years to 75 years.  

• Minquadale and communities near New Castle, which have average lifespans ranging from 70.1 years to 74.4 years.  

• Wilmington, which has an average lifespan ranging from 68.2 years to 74.4 years.  

Kent County 

• All coastal communities in the county, which are under one census tract, have an average life expectancy of 74.5 years.  

• Harrington and Felton, which have an average lifespan of 74.7 years.  

• Viola, Woodside, Camden and Wyoming, which have an average lifespan of 74.9 years. 

• Some communities in Dover near Route 13 and Route 8, which have average lifespans ranging from 72.5 years to 75 years.  

• Communities west of Route 10, which have an average lifespan of 72.2 years.  

Sussex County  

Only three categories in the county are in the red category. They are: 

• The western half of Long Neck and the surrounding area through Route 5, which have an average lifespan of 73.7 years. 

• Communities southeast of Seaford between Route 9 and Route 13, which have an average lifespan of 74.8 years.  

• The westernmost portion of Seaford and surrounding areas from Route 18 to just above Phillips Landing Road near Bethel, which have an average lifespan of 74.4 years.  

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.