Data Show Longer Life Expectancy in Most Democratic House Districts

New data compiled by the Congressional District Health Dashboard show life expectancy above the national average in nearly 70 percent of House districts held by Democrats and below the national average in more than 70 percent of districts held by Republicans.

The dashboard, a project of New York University Grossman School of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aggregates Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Center for Health Statistics records for 40 health indicators across current congressional lines.

Fifty-four percent of Republican-held districts exceed the national average for the share of residents without health insurance, compared with 31 percent of Democratic-held districts. Elevated rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, cardiovascular deaths, and breast cancer deaths also appear in a larger share of Republican districts than Democratic districts.

Enrollment in the two programs has fallen by five million since June 2025, according to an analysis by the advocacy group Protect Our Care.

Shepherd, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said his research indicates that poorer health outcomes in some rural areas have coincided with stronger Republican electoral performance. Marc Gourevitch, co-principal investigator for the dashboard, said lower insurance coverage combined with higher chronic-disease prevalence raises concerns for prevention and disease management.

Joseph Antos of the American Enterprise Institute noted that Republican districts tend to include more blue-collar and rural residents who may face occupational and environmental health risks. Jennifer Karas Montez of Syracuse University said policy differences between states, including income supports and public-health measures, track with the observed life-expectancy patterns.