CINCINNATI — Depending on the Cincinnati neighborhood you’re born in, your life expectancy could differ by over 20 years compared to other residents. It’s referred to as the “life expectancy gap.”
According to City of Cincinnati Health Department data, a child born in Lower Price Hill can expect to live 25 years less than a child born in Mt. Adams.
During Tuesday's Youth and Human Services Committee meeting, Cincinnati Health Commissioner Dr. Grant Mussman said the gap is not normal.
“This is very unusual, we’re actually the fourteenth worst in the country out of the 500 most populous cities,” Mussman said.
WATCH: The contributing factors to the life expectancy gap, and most impacted neighborhoods in Cincinnati
The top five preventable causes of death in the city have stayed the same since 2010, with the order changing depending on the year. In 2025, the top cause of death was infant mortality, followed by heart disease, homicide, drug overdose and cancer.
“They may be very complicated things to prevent,” Mussman said. “But they are ultimately things that don’t have to happen.”
These preventable and premature deaths impact low-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods of color and those who experience barriers to health care the most.
As of 2025, communities with the highest numbers of premature deaths (death before age 75) are East Price Hill, Avondale, Roselawn, West Price Hill and the West End.
Doris Thomas and MoPoetry Phillips work with kids and families in many of these highly impacted neighborhoods.
“A lot of our youth have been greatly impacted by gun violence,” Phillips, the president of the Arts Equity Collective, said.
In their work, they’ve discovered that in many of these neighborhoods, some don’t look at homicide deaths as preventable.
“When you ask how long do they think they’re going to live, they think of it and say, 'I don’t know, I don’t care. You know, five years, you know who knows,'” Thomas, the founder and CEO of Never the Less nonprofit, said.
Mussman said there’s no way to pinpoint exactly why some neighborhoods see lower life expectancies than others. But he said systemic racism, environmental factors, economic status and access to food and health care all play a role.
Marlena Lang covers Cincinnati's West Side for WCPO 9 News. You can contact her here:
Although they can’t solve all these issues, Mussman said they believe the gap can be improved.
“We might not be able to untangle years of history, systemic racism, poverty … that doesn't mean there’s not a piece of the problem that we can fix,” Mussman said.
Mussman and his team are working with community partners and organizations already tackling the top five preventable deaths, bringing the data to the communities and working to find solutions.
Mussman added that the team does need more funding in order to reach all communities impacted and make a real difference.
Read more about the "Life Expectancy Gaps" below:
