8) Alabama
Coming in third for shortened life expectancy in the country is another southern state, Alabama. Residents of Alabama have an average life expectancy of 75.4 years. The state’s infant mortality rate is higher than the national average with 8.61 deaths per 1,000 live births. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the state. The state ranks third in the nation for heart disease deaths. Alabama ranks first in the nation for stroke deaths with more than 2,600 deaths per year resulting from strokes. Other leading causes of death in the state are cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and accidents. The state ranks third in the nation for pre-term births with about 11.7% of the babies born in the state being born prematurely.
