Gregor Aisch, Quoctrung Bui, Amanda Cox, and Kevin Quealy report in The New York Times that poor residents in Schoharie and Columbia counties live longer then poor residents in surrounding counties. Schoharie and Columbia counties had the highest life expectancy of local New York counties, at 80.5 and 80.4 years, for 40-year-olds with income below $28,000. Berkshire County, in Massachusetts, has an 81.3 life expectancy for that demographic, with Ulster County at 80.1, Greene County at 79.6, Dutchess County at 79.5, Albany County 78.8, and Rensselaer County lowest at 77.4. Why are folks living longer in Columbia County then in surrounding counties? The story lists four possible reasons and three "weaker correlations." People in Columbia County smoke slightly less then the national average, the percentage of immigrants locally is less than nationally, medium home values are lower, and local government per-capita spending is slightly higher than the national average. But, Columbia County residents are more obese than counterparts nationally, exercise less, and are less apt to be college graduates. Read the full story in The New York Times.