I have used County Health Rankings for years on this site to provide insight into the social ills plaguing the Alleghenies. Last year they lost their main funder, the Robert Wood Johnston Foundation. They are not doing the major data releases now, but they are updating their site as new data are released. This post focuses on a rebound in life expectancy after the pandemic in the Alleghenies.
An Average of the Worst Counties for African Americans
The graph above shows the average change in African American (AA) and white life expectancy for the 15 counties in Pennsylvania with the lowest AA life expectancies. Life expectancy is a moving 3 year average. The most recent period available is for the years 2021-2023. The first 2 years cover the COVID pandemic while the third is after the pandemic. The previous period (2020-2022) covers the height of the pandemic.
After a low during the 2020-2022 period the average AA life expectancy increased from 66.2 years to 67.1 years. This is a 1.4% increase. White life expectancy increased from 75.8 years to 76.1 years over the same period, a 0.4% increase. African American life expectancy is still 4.1 years behind pre pandemic levels.
Life Expectancy Changes in Cambria County
For Cambria County, African American life expectancy increased from 62.8 years in 2020-2022 to 63.8 years in 2021-2023. This is a 1.6% increase. Over the same period, white life expectancy increased from 75.1 years to 75.5 years, a 0.5% increase. Hopefully this rebound in life expectancy after the pandemic will continue when more post pandemic years are added.