Scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found differences in lifestyles and other factors are linked to big gaps in life expectancy between residents of various U.S. states.
That could mean almost a decade more or less of life.
In the study, the team used data from each state on mortality rates, as well as 2010 census data and Medicare data, to tally up life expectancy at birth per state.
They found much of the differences fell along regional lines, with Americans living in Hawaii, the Northwest, California and the Northeast living the longest.
People living in the Southeast typically had the shortest expected lifespans.
Among the 50 states and D.C., Hawaii had the highest life expectancy at birth, 80.7 years in 2020, and Mississippi had the lowest, 71.9 years.
The top 10 longest-lived states, by average life expectancy in years, are:
- Hawaii—80.7
- Washington—79.2
- Minnesota—79.1
- California—79
- Massachusetts—79
- New Hampshire—79
- Vermont—78.8
- Oregon—78.8
- Utah—78.6
- Connecticut—78.4
The states ranking in the bottom 10, by average life expectancy in years, are:
- Mississippi—71.9
- West Virginia—72.8
- Louisiana—73.1
- Alabama—73.2
- Kentucky—73.5
- Tennessee—73.8
- Arkansas—73.8
- Oklahoma—74.1
- New Mexico—74.5
- South Carolina—74.8
The team says as seen in other tallies of national life expectancy data, the pandemic played a big role in shrinking American life spans.
The team says come states were hit harder than others: For example, in New York life spans fell by three years during the pandemic, and in Louisiana life expectancy declined by 2.6 years.
On the other hand, Hawaii seemed relatively spared: In the Aloha State, life expectancy fell by just 0.2 years between 2019 and 2020. In New Hampshire, the decline was just 0.4 years, the report found.
In addition, the team found women still tend to outlive men, living an average of 5.7 years longer than their male peers in 2020
If you care about wellness, please read studies about the optimal daily walking steps for longevity, and scientists find way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies about the features of a ‘longevity diet’, and results showing this dieting method could help increase longevity.
The research was published in National Vital Statistics Reports and conducted by Elizabeth Arias et al.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
