Skip to main content

2020 to 2021 Saw Decline in Life Expectancy for 39 States, Increase for 11

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 21, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 -- From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth declined for 39 U.S. states and increased for 11 states, according to the Aug. 21 National Vital Statistics Reports, a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues present complete period life tables for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by sex based on age-specific death rates in 2021.

The researchers found that Hawaii had the highest life expectancy at birth of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and Mississippi had the lowest (79.9 and 70.9 years, respectively). From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth decreased and increased for 39 and 11 states, respectively, and remained unchanged for the District of Columbia. In 2021, life expectancy at age 65 years varied from 16.1 to 20.6 years in Mississippi and Hawaii, respectively. Females in all states and the District of Columbia had higher life expectancy at birth. Between males and females, the difference in life expectancy ranged from 3.9 to 7.6 years in Utah and New Mexico, respectively.

"Overall, life expectancy in the United States declined by 0.6 years from 2020 to 2021, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths)," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Index of Symptoms Can Identify Long COVID in Children, Adolescents

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 -- Postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) can be identified using an index of symptoms, which...

Salivary CD44, Total Protein ID Recurrence Risk in Head and Neck Cancer

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 -- Elevated salivary levels of CD44 and total protein (TP) can identify head and neck cancer patients with an increased risk for cancer recurrence...

Prognostic Assay Can Stratify Risk for Progression in Barrett Esophagus

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 -- Esoproedict can stratify Barrett esophagus (BE) patients as having a low or high risk for progression, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.