Brooklyn, NY – Apparently living in Borough Park area can add years to your life.

According to a report recently released by the New York City Department of Health, Borough Parkers live longer than other Brooklyn residents, with an average life span of 84.2 years, three years longer than the city-wide average of 81.2 years.

The New York City Community Health Profiles studied the health of 59 community districts across the city, measuring 50 different criteria including infant mortality, physical activity, economic stress, violence and access to health care. Community District 12, which encompasses Borough Park, Kensington and Ocean Parkway, led the city, both in life expectancy and in having the lowest rate of avoidable child hospitalizations.

Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death among Borough Park area residents under the age of 65, with lung, breast and colorectal cancer being the most prevalent forms of the disease.

Borough Park did not fare as well in the poverty category, with rates eight points higher than the citywide average of 20 percent.

It also fell short on rental rates, with 64 percent of Borough Park renters spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent, a number that exceeded New York City averages by 13 percentage points. But Borough Park did well in several other areas, with rates of unemployment, obesity, diabetes, binge drinking, infant mortality, premature deaths and number of smokers all coming in under citywide averages.

State Senator Simcha Felder was pleased to hear about the DOH’s latest statistics, saying that the data was yet another indicator of Borough Park’s vitality.

“I’m proud to represent a community that is so dedicated to its religious and family values which I believe that what is responsible for these results,” Felder told VIN News.

Several other Jewish communities in the city also scored above the citywide average on the DOH report, with the Upper West Side coming in at 84.7 years, Forest Hills at 84.4, Washington Heights at 84.0, Kew Gardens Hills at 83.9 years, Flatbush and Midwood at 82.4. At 81.1 and 79.3 respective the Willliamsburg and Crown Heights districts fell just below the citywide.

In all, 15 districts ranked among the longest lived in the city. Borough Park was the only Brooklyn area that earned that distinction, with seven each in Manhattan and Queens each having seven. The most long lived district in New York City? Manhattan’s Upper East Side, with an average life span of 85.9 years.