As if New York City residents need anything else to brag about to the rest of the country, they can now boast a record life expectancy of 80.6 years, which is more than the national rate of 78.2. The city attributes this longer life span in part to its anti-smoking policies.

Bloomberg News quotes the stats in a report released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The report says HIV fatalities have also dropped faster than any other cause of death in the city.

“If you want to live longer and healthier than the average American, come to New York City,” Bloomberg said as he released the report. “By investing in health care and continuing to encourage more New Yorkers to take charge of their own health, we’ve experienced dramatic improvements in life expectancy.”

The Health Department said the adult smoking rate for NYC is at a record low, with just 14 out of 100 New Yorkers smoking, a 35% decrease from 2002. Bans on smoking in bars and other public spaces as well as increased taxes on cigarettes likely contributed to the lower number of smokers.

Officials say the decline will prevent 50,000 premature deaths in the next 40 years, and that the reduced smoking has already led to a 4.3% decrease in cancer deaths since 2002.

So according to Mayor Bloomberg, if you want to quit smoking, just move to NYC. It’s that easy!

NYC Life Expectancy Is Seen Linked To Anti-Smoking Policy [Bloomberg]

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