New data reveals a stark racial divide in life expectancy within New Hanover County, North Carolina, where Black residents live an average of 7.6 years less than White residents. The county ranks sixth in the state for this disparity, highlighting deep inequities in health outcomes.
Beyond overall life expectancy, Black infants face mortality rates 2.4 times higher than White infants. Years of potential life lost, which measures premature death before age 75, is more than double for Black residents compared to White residents, representing the sixth highest disparity ratio in North Carolina.
J’vanete Skiba, director of the New Hanover County Resiliency Task Force, emphasized that these patterns reflect systemic issues rather than individual failings. She described the health impact as resulting from chronic stress, including layers of childhood adversity, community instability, and historical harms that continue shaping health today.
Life expectancy across the county varies by as much as 17 years depending on neighborhood. A child born in the Woodberry Forest area can expect to live 85.8 years, while one born near Portia Mills Hines Park faces a life expectancy of just 68.4 years. These disparities correlate closely with social determinants including income, housing stability, food security, and healthcare access.
Skiba noted that decades of exclusion, displacement, and uneven investment continue to create conditions where constant, uncontrollable stress contributes to toxic levels that affect health across the lifespan. She stressed that the data reveals not personal shortcomings but fundamental inequities in community structures determining who can reliably access safety, care, and opportunity.
See: “Where you live in New Hanover County impacts how long you live, data shows” (January 20, 2026)Â
