9) West Virginia
West Virginia places second in the nation when it comes to shortened life expectancy, but its average lifespan of 75.4 years ties with that of Alabama, which ranks third. The annual rankings report conducted by Gallup-Healthways determined that 1,261 residents of the state considered themselves to be “suffering” in significant areas, such as Physical Health, Access to Basic Needs, or Quality of Life in general. The United Health Foundation’s “America’s Health Rankings” has West Virginia either ranked last or next to last in 20 categories ranging from teeth loss to child immunizations. It includes health related missed work days because due to prescription drug abuse and subsequent overdoses. The state is a net mortality society, where the number of deaths exceeds the number of births. According to the Census Bureau it was the only state in the nation to be considered as such as of 2012.
