According to a new study, life expectancies in some parts of Oklahoma are growing at a more rapid pace than in others.
NewsOK reports that the Oklahoma Panhandle has exhibited a marked increase in life expectancy since 1980, showing a gain of between four and five percent, one of the strongest surges in the state.
The area in and around Oklahoma City saw the most pronounced increase in lifespan, with an increase of 5.74 percent, while Kiowa County was the only county to see lifespans grow more brief over the past few decades. Lives in Kiowa County in 2014 were .74 percent shorter than they were in 1980. The average lifespan in that county is less than 73 years, whereas the state’s overall rate is more than 76 years.
Eight other counties saw life expectancy increases of less than 1 percent, including Jefferson, Okfuskee, Beckham, Carter, Garvin, Dewey, Murray and Stephens counties