A recent research brief by Nader Mehri and Jennifer Karas Montez at Syracuse University  reveals that the  chances of dying young differ dramatically across U.S. states. Individuals living in Minnesota, California, New York, and Massachusetts have the lowest rates of death by age 65, whereas those living in Southern states, including West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma have the highest rates of premature death. If current conditions remain constant in these states, more than 1 in 5 people born in them will not survive to age 65.