If you’re looking for a longer life, your best bet might be to head for the coast. A sweeping new study from The Ohio State University finds that Americans who live near the ocean tend to outlive their inland counterparts, but the same longevity boost doesn’t hold true for people living near rivers and lakes, especially in urban areas.
Coastal air and cooler temps may help extend life
The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, analyzed life expectancy and environmental data from over 66,000 census tracts across the contiguous United States. People living within 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) of the coast lived, on average, more than a year longer than the national average of 79 years. Meanwhile, those in cities near large inland waterways often had shorter lifespans, dipping closer to 78 years.
“Overall, the coastal residents were expected to live a year or more longer than the 79-year average,” said lead author Jianyong “Jamie” Wu, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Ohio State. “We found a clear difference — in coastal areas, people are living longer.”
What makes coastal living healthier?
The researchers explored dozens of possible factors. Coastal regions tended to have:
- Fewer hot days and lower average temperatures
- Cleaner air with lower levels of smoke and pollution
- Greater access to recreational spaces and beaches
- Flatter terrain and better transportation networks
- Higher average household incomes
“Violence prevention is suicide prevention,” Wu explained. “On the other side, pollution, poverty, lack of safe opportunities to be physically active and an increased risk of flooding are likely drivers of these differences.”
Inland water, urban woes
Contrary to expectations, living near lakes or rivers wasn’t always beneficial. In urban areas, proximity to large inland bodies of water was actually linked to shorter lifespans. “We thought it was possible that any type of ‘blue space’ would offer some beneficial effects, and we were surprised to find such a significant and clear difference,” Wu said.
Postdoctoral researcher Yanni Cao, who co-authored the study, believes the data help explain broader national trends. “It’s likely that various social determinants of health, including complex environmental factors, that contribute to health inequities are playing a key role in the differences we saw,” Cao said.
Why rural water still helps
In contrast to urban findings, rural residents living near inland water bodies saw a slight benefit in life expectancy. This suggests that factors like lower population density, reduced air pollution, and different land uses in rural environments might mitigate some of the risks found in urban waterside living.
Planning for longer lives
The study’s authors hope their findings will inform future urban planning and public health strategies. Integrating access to coastal-style blue spaces, ensuring better air quality, and improving infrastructure could help more communities benefit from the health effects seen in oceanfront populations.
This research represents the first large-scale U.S. analysis of how different types of water proximity influence life expectancy. It also raises important questions: Could city design bring inland benefits closer to those seen along the coasts? And how can we ensure those benefits are shared equitably across income and race?
As cities look to the future, the answer might lie not just in green parks and cleaner streets, but in rethinking our relationship with the water.
Journal and DOI
Published in Environmental Research
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121981
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