Key Questions Answered
Q: Does living near water improve life expectancy?
A: Yes—but the benefit is mainly observed for people who live within roughly 30 miles of an ocean or gulf. Coastal populations tend to live longer than the national average, while residents near inland rivers or lakes in urban areas may experience slightly lower life expectancy.
Q: Why is the ocean different from inland water?
A: Coastal environments generally provide milder temperatures, better air quality, more recreational options, and higher incomes, all of which support health and longevity. By contrast, inland waterways in cities can be associated with pollution, socioeconomic challenges, and flood risk.
Q: Are rural areas near water any different?
A: Rural residents living close to water often show some health and longevity benefits, although these gains are not as consistent or as pronounced as those observed in coastal communities.
Summary: A comprehensive analysis of more than 66,000 U.S. census tracts finds that living near the ocean correlates with longer life expectancy, while proximity to inland waters in urban settings can correlate with shorter lifespans. Coastal residents in this study lived, on average, about a year longer than the national average.
Researchers suggest these differences arise from a mix of environmental and socioeconomic factors: cleaner air, gentler climates, and greater opportunities for outdoor activity around coasts versus pollution, poverty, and higher flood or infrastructure risks around some inland waterways. The results indicate that not all “blue spaces” offer the same health advantages.
Key Facts:
- Longevity Boost: People living near coasts may live roughly one year longer than the U.S. average.
- Urban Inland Risk: Residents of cities near rivers or large lakes may have somewhat lower life expectancy.
- Environmental Divide: Differences in air quality, temperature extremes, and socioeconomic status likely explain much of the variation.
Source: Ohio State University
Living near the ocean may be linked to longer life, but the same advantage does not necessarily apply to people living beside rivers or lakes in urban areas, according to a recent study.
Researchers at The Ohio State University examined life expectancy and other population data across 66,263 U.S. census tracts, comparing outcomes based on proximity to different types of water bodies. Their analysis was published in the journal Environmental Research.
The study found a clear positive association for people living within about 30 miles of an ocean or gulf. In contrast, residents of urban census tracts located near inland water bodies larger than four square miles tended to have lower life expectancy than the national average. Rural communities near water showed mixed but sometimes favorable associations with lifespan.
Lead author Jianyong “Jamie” Wu noted that coastal residents were expected to live a year or more longer than the national average of roughly 79 years, while people living near inland urban waters were more likely to have life expectancy estimates around 78 years. The team attributes these differences to multiple intertwined factors.
The researchers identified several likely advantages for coastal populations: milder climates with fewer extremely hot days, better air quality, more recreational opportunities that encourage physical activity, stronger transportation networks, lower susceptibility to drought, and generally higher income levels. These conditions together can foster better health outcomes and longer lives.
Conversely, inland urban waterways were often linked to negative factors such as higher pollution levels, concentrated poverty, limited safe spaces for exercise, and elevated flood risk—conditions that can undermine health and reduce life expectancy.
Previous studies have tied proximity to water with improved health markers, including increased physical activity, lower obesity rates, and better cardiovascular health. This study extends that work by examining whether those benefits translate into differences in longevity and how the relationships vary by water type and neighborhood context.
Wu said the researchers were surprised to find such a stark contrast between coastal and inland blue spaces. “We expected blue spaces to be broadly beneficial, but the patterns differ substantially depending on whether the water is coastal or inland and whether the setting is urban or rural,” he explained.
Co-author Yanni Cao emphasized the role of broader social determinants of health in shaping these outcomes, noting that environmental and socioeconomic inequities likely contribute to the observed life expectancy patterns. Graduate student Ria Martins also co-authored the study.
About this longevity and neuroscience research news
Author: Misti Crane
Source: Ohio State University
Contact: Misti Crane – Ohio State University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. “Unveiling complexity in blue spaces and life expectancy” by Jianyong “Jamie” Wu et al., Environmental Research (DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121981)
Abstract
Unveiling complexity in blue spaces and life expectancy
Growing evidence links blue spaces with positive health outcomes, but research connecting these environments to life expectancy is limited. This study evaluates associations between coastal and inland waters and life expectancy across 66,263 U.S. census tracts, adjusting for socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic factors using multiple linear, multilevel, and spatial regression models, plus sensitivity analyses.
The results show a positive association between proximity to coastal waters and life expectancy, and a negative association for proximity to inland waters overall. Using mutual information models, the researchers identified key environmental and socioeconomic factors that likely drive these differences.
Comparative analysis suggests that longer life expectancy near coastal waters is linked to milder temperatures, improved air quality, greater recreational opportunities, better transportation infrastructure, lower drought susceptibility, and higher income. The urban–rural breakdown indicates coastal proximity is beneficial in both settings, while inland water associations are negative in urban areas and positive in some rural contexts.
These findings underscore the importance of considering blue spaces alongside environmental and social determinants of health in urban planning, housing development, and health equity strategies to promote longer, healthier lives.