When it comes to adding years to your life, your ZIP code may be more important than your genetic code.
In the Valley, communities just 15 minutes apart have around a 15-year difference in life expectancy, according to new data from Virginia Commonwealth University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Socioeconomic status is part of the equation, but only part of it, explains Jon Ford with the Vitalyst Health Foundation in Phoenix.
"Health is a function of place," he explains. "It's about a physical place manifesting disease in people's lives that's cutting their lives short."
Ford adds pretty much anything can have an impact on how long you live.
Things like air quality, access to freeways, even distance to grocery stores could influence the outcome of your life.
"In a place like north Scottsdale, you've got three grocery stores within 0.8 miles of a home. And in south Phoenix, you do not."
For a list of 36 Valley ZIP codes, click here
According to the map, the Valley's highest life expectancy goes to 85258 in Scottsdale with 85 years.
The lowest is 71 years in 85004, which includes parts of South Phoenix.
"The choices we make are based on the choices we have. If you live in a neighborhood that doesn't have options or choices to be healthy, it is very difficult to be healthy in the long run.
