ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz says a statistic he recently heard at an AtlantiCare meeting drove home just how dramatically health outcomes can differ between neighboring communities.
According to Shabazz, residents of Atlantic City have a life expectancy 12 years shorter than residents of nearby Galloway Township.
“Right here in Atlantic County, I found out going to an AtlantiCare meeting that there's a 12-year life expectancy gap between Atlantic City and Galloway, and that's real,” Shabazz said Thursday during an appearance on The Don Williams Show on WOND.
South Jersey NewsBeat was unable to independently confirm the precise 12-year comparison cited at the recent meeting.
However, previously published data from AtlantiCare documents a similarly stark disparity between Atlantic City and surrounding communities.
AtlantiCare's 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment reported life expectancy in Atlantic City at just 67.8 years, compared with 77.5 years for Atlantic County overall and 80.5 years statewide.
That put Atlantic City nearly 10 years below the Atlantic County average and almost 13 years below the New Jersey average.
'Why Is That?'
Shabazz raised the statistic during a broader conversation about health, poverty and economic conditions in Atlantic City.
He appeared on WOND with members of Bridge of Faith, an interfaith organization bringing religious leaders together to address community issues.
For Shabazz, the life-expectancy disparity raises a much larger question.
“Why is that?” he asked during the discussion.
Shabazz pointed to access to health care and socioeconomic conditions as factors that can influence how long people live.
The connection between health and conditions outside the doctor's office has increasingly become a focus for health systems around the country. Income, housing, food access, education, transportation and access to preventive care can all contribute to differences in health outcomes among communities.
AtlantiCare itself has identified improving life expectancy as a regional priority.
In its 2024 annual report, the health system listed a five-year increase in life expectancy among its long-term community goals. The report also described Atlantic City as New Jersey's second-largest food desert and said food and nutrition insecurity affect the health of the city's most vulnerable residents.
Older AtlantiCare Data Shows Dramatic Divide
AtlantiCare's 2019 assessment provides a particularly striking picture of the disparity.
The report compared life expectancy among several Atlantic County communities.
Atlantic City's 67.8-year life expectancy was by far the lowest among the municipalities listed.
By comparison, the report listed life expectancy at 80.8 years in Margate, 79.6 in both Hammonton and Linwood, 79.2 in Somers Point, 78 in Northfield, 77.7 in Absecon and 76.9 in Pleasantville.
The New Jersey average was 80.5.
The assessment said examining life expectancy can help identify communities where residents are dying prematurely and noted that numerous factors can contribute to lower-than-average longevity.
The figures are from an older assessment and should not be interpreted as current 2026 life-expectancy estimates. AtlantiCare's newer 2025-27 Community Health Needs Assessment continues to examine health conditions and socioeconomic factors affecting Atlantic City and Atlantic County, but the publicly available material reviewed by NewsBeat did not establish the specific current Atlantic City-to-Galloway comparison Shabazz cited.
Faith Leaders Connect Health With Poverty
Shabazz's comments came as the Bridge of Faith representatives discussed what they see as an interconnected series of problems facing Atlantic City.
Bishop Robert Hargrove argued that health problems can quickly become economic problems for families.
Poor health can prevent someone from working, he said, which can then make it difficult to pay bills and maintain housing.
Rev. Buell Curry of Union Baptist Temple said churches and other religious institutions have a responsibility to address those conditions beyond their traditional religious roles.
“We have to make impact beyond brick and mortar,” Curry said. “It's good to have programs. It's good to have fellowship among one another. That's a beautiful thing. But how are we giving back? What lives are being changed?”
Imam Rameen Muhammad also pointed to economic opportunity, arguing that communities need to place greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and business ownership.
“We need to move from the concept of just teaching how to be employed and start teaching business and how to employ,” Muhammad said.
A Disparity Close to Home
Shabazz said the mission of Bridge of Faith is to bring people from different religious traditions together around common community concerns.
“Even though everyone has their individual belief, we have the same goal,” Shabazz said, describing that goal in terms of community engagement, social uplift and civic improvement.
The life-expectancy statistic, he said, illustrates the urgency of that work.
While the precise 12-year Atlantic City-Galloway figure still requires independent confirmation, the underlying disparity is not merely anecdotal.
AtlantiCare's own previously published research found Atlantic City residents living, on average, nearly a decade less than Atlantic County residents overall — and almost 13 years less than the statewide average.
About the Author
Scott Stephens
Scott has been an on-air personality, producer and newscaster for 30+ years. He has been a mainstay in the South Jersey Community and on the air across many different area stations. Scott can currently be heard on Kool 98.3 and News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND.
