CDC data was "flawed" when it listed Stilwell as the town with the lowest life expectancy
STILWELL, Okla. (KTUL) — In February 2019, folks living in Stilwell, Okla. were shocked.
“I was surprised when I saw the study. I was surprised that it was that low of an age,” said Lorie Trentham at the time.
The small town in Adair County was all over the national news. At the time, the CDC named Stilwell as the place with the lowest life expectancy in the United States. That study said that the average person lived to 56 in Stilwell.
“Nobody could give you a solid answer,” said Bill Roedenbeck, in February 2019.
Turns out, people had a reason to be skeptical. The data that the CDC used to back up the numbers was flawed.
“Fifty-six is jarring and you see the list of some of the countries that would put that census track in league with, it would be very alarming,” said Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., with the Cherokee Nation.
“It was alarming for the Cherokee nation, even though we knew that had to be flawed data.”
Hoskin Jr. says the CDC wrongly linked dozens of deaths to P.O. boxes at the post office in Stilwell. By doing that, it drove the life expectancy numbers down for the town.
“It seems pretty elementary to me,” said Hoskin Jr. “Then when you look at the data, it’s a skewed figure.”
So just how long are people expected to live in Stilwell?
74 years old, according to Hoskin Jr.
“So, we see it, it jumped to 74, which is still below the national average but it’s a lot better than being compared to third world countries,” said Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who both lives in Stilwell and represents people in the area.
Mullin said the Cherokee Nation spearheaded the research and worked hard to prove the CDC wrong. He said, even though the number is now correct, it may be hard for Stilwell to shake the stigma of being labeled as the “death capital” of the United States.
“A lot of people are not going to hear this that it’s being corrected. They’re just going to remember that we’re the death capital of the country, and that’s not accurate. That’s not where we’re at anymore,” said Mullin.
Chief Hoskin Jr. agreed. “When these sorts of stories go out, they tend to stick. Channel 8’s doing a wonderful job, as they always do covering these kinds of issues. I don’t the national media will cover this correction with the ferocity as they did the original story.”