Californians Rank Second Behind Hawaiians For Highest Life Expectancy Among 50 States
(CNN/CBS13) -- Californians and Hawaiians have the highest life expectancy in the United States, according to newly released data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers in the CDC's Division of Vital Statistics estimated the life expectancy of people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 2018 deaths, population estimates, and Medicare data for people between the ages of 66 to 99.
Americans have an overall life expectancy of 78.7 years, according to the report. Women fare better than men, with higher life expectancies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Overall, women in the US can expect to live 81.2 years, while men can expect to live 76.2 years, researchers said.
Hawaii residents can expect to live to age 81, the authors noted. Californians can expect to live 80.8 years, while New Yorkers and Minnesotans weren't far behind with an average life expectancy of 80.5 years.
West Virginians, meanwhile, can expect to live 74.4 years -- the lowest in the country.
The report also indicates some regional trends.
Five out of the top 10 states with the highest life expectancy were in the Northeast. Of the 10 states with the lowest life expectancy in the nation, eight were in the South.
These are the Top 10 states:
- Hawaii
- California
- New York
- Minnesota
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Washington
- Colorado
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
These are the bottom 10 states:
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
Another report published last month by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics found that life expectancy in the US dropped a full year in the first half of 2020, falling to 77.8 years -- similar to what it was in 2006.
Experts said that Covid-19 was a significant factor contributing to the decline.
Over the past 40 years, life expectancy has increased slowly but rarely declined. Between 2014 and 2017 -- a peak period of the opioid epidemic -- life expectancy declined a third of a year, which itself was significant.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the people with the highest life expectancy in the nation. They are Hawaii residents.
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