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Top 10 states most likely to develop ‘Blue Zone’ where people will live the longest
Featured Image Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / David McNew/Getty Images

Top 10 states most likely to develop ‘Blue Zone’ where people will live the longest

There are a number of 'Blue Zones' where residents experience unusual longevity

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

What makes for a long and healthy life? You might do well to ask the residents of a 'Blue Zone', which have unusually high life expectancy.

There are not many such places across the world, with Italy, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, and the US boasting one Blue Zone.

While genetics and good old-fashioned luck obviously play a part in how long someone lives, there are common factors in the Blue Zones which point to how lifestyle can impact longevity.

There is even the possibility that more US states could develop Blue Zones in the future.

But in order to understand that, it might help to know where the current Blue Zones are.

These are Icaria, a Greek island, Ogliastra on the island of Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and Loma Linda in California.

Probably the first thing you might notice about these places is that they share a similar climate, as they all get a lot of sunshine.

The second is that they are all close to the sea, with three of the five being on islands, and the remaining two coastal.

Loma Linda in California is among the Blue Zones.
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

So, with that in mind, which states might be the ones most likely to develop a 'Blue Zone'?

Researchers examined rates of depression and anxiety, sleep quality, physical activity, population density, meat-free food options, and of course life expectancy.

After California - which took the top spot - the state with the second-highest likelihood of developing a Blue Zone was Minnesota.

Full list below

Then we have Utah, North Carolina, and Massachusetts making up the rest of the top five.

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is also a Blue Zone.
Matthew Williams-Ellis/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

So how did they compare? Well, California's score according to the researchers was 7.03 out of ten.

By the time we get to fifth place with Massachusetts and Maryland the ranking has dropped down to 6.31.

New York however did not fare well in the ranking, coming in 30th with a score of 4.82.

However, the worst rating of the 49 entries on the list was Kentucky, with an abysmal rating of just 2.32.

The state is plagued by low life expectancy, low sleep quality, and high rates of depression.

Overall, the US ranks at number 47 in a list of countries with the longest life expectancy.

The top three spots go to Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics the US state with the highest life expectancy is Hawaii with 80.7, while the lowest is Mississippi with 71.9.

Here's the full list of US states most likely to develop Blue Zones:


  1. California
  2. Minnesota
  3. Utah
  4. North Carolina
  5. Massachusetts
  6. Maryland
  7. Virginia
  8. Connecticut
  9. Rhode Island
  10. Colorado

Topics: News, World News, Life, Health, Mental Health

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.