According to a report by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the average life expectancy for a person born in the US in 2019 was 78.8 years nationwide. That’s the overall number, though, and life expectancy varies considerably from state to state.
To determine the states with the highest and lowest life expectancies, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the National Center for Health Statistics’s National Vital Statistics Reports for 2019, the most recent year for which complete data is available. It illustrates the extent to which your place of residence can have a significant impact on your longevity. (Here are the American counties with the shortest life expectancy.)
Research from the Milbank Quarterly, a public health policy journal, delved into the question of why longevity estimates vary so much. The study looked at how state policies regarding tobacco use, civil rights, and the environment factor into life expectancy. Reviewing data from 1970 to 2014, researchers concluded that state economic policies setting minimum wages and anti-discrimination laws can positively influence health and life expectancy. For example, anti-discrimination laws protect people from racism and sexism, which has an adverse impact on their physical and mental health. Paid sick leave can also improve an individual’s health.
The results of the CDC report suggest that if you want to live a long, healthy life, you should move to Hawaii. There, your life expectancy at birth in 2019 would have been 80.9 years in general – 83.9 if you’re a woman. That’s six-and-a-half years more than if you were born in Mississippi, where lifespans are estimated to be the shortest in the US. The Aloha State is also in the top ten in our list of all 50 states ranked from worst to best for a healthy retirement.
50. Mississippi
> Life expectancy at birth: 74.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 71.2 years (the lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 77.6 years (2nd lowest)
49. West Virginia
> Life expectancy at birth: 74.5 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 71.9 years (2nd lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 77.3 years (the lowest)
48. Alabama
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.2 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 72.2 years (3rd lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78.2 years (4th lowest)
47. Kentucky
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.5 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 72.9 years (6th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78 years (3rd lowest)
46. Tennessee
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 72.8 years (4th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78.5 years (7th lowest)
45. Arkansas
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 73 years (7th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78.4 years (6th lowest)
44. Oklahoma
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 73.2 years (8th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78.3 years (5th lowest)
43. Louisiana
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 72.8 years (5th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 78.6 years (8th lowest)
42. South Carolina
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.8 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 73.9 years (9th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years (11th lowest)
41. Ohio
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.9 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 74.3 years (12th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years (9th lowest)
40. New Mexico
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.9 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 73.9 years (10th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years (15th lowest)
39. Missouri
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.9 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 74.1 years (11th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years (12th lowest)
38. Indiana
> Life expectancy at birth: 77 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 74.5 years (13th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years (10th lowest)
37. Georgia
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 74.9 years (14th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.9 years (13th lowest)
36. North Carolina
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.6 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75 years (15th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years (16th lowest)
35. Wyoming
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.4 years (17th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.5 years (19th lowest)
34. Alaska
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.8 years (22nd lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 79.9 years (14th lowest)
33. Michigan
> Life expectancy at birth: 78 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years (19th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years (17th lowest)
32. Nevada
> Life expectancy at birth: 78 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years (18th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.6 years (20th lowest)
31. Delaware
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.1 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.1 years (16th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81 years (25th lowest)
30. Kansas
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.2 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.9 years (24th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.4 years (18th lowest)
29. Maine
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.3 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.8 years (23rd lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.9 years (23rd lowest)
28. Pennsylvania
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.3 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.7 years (20th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.9 years (24th lowest)
27. South Dakota
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.1 years (25th lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.8 years (22nd lowest)
26. Montana
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.2 years (23rd highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 80.8 years (21st lowest)
25. Maryland
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.5 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 75.8 years (21st lowest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.2 years (24th highest)
24. Texas
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.6 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.1 years (24th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81 years (25th highest)
23. North Dakota
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.8 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.3 years (21st highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (21st highest)
22. Arizona
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.8 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.1 years (25th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.6 years (15th highest)
21. Illinois
> Life expectancy at birth: 79 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.4 years (20th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (19th highest)
20. Iowa
> Life expectancy at birth: 79 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.5 years (19th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.6 years (16th highest)
19. Florida
> Life expectancy at birth: 79 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.3 years (22nd highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.8 years (13th highest)
18. Virginia
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.1 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 76.8 years (18th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.3 years (23rd highest)
17. Nebraska
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.2 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.1 years (14th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.3 years (22nd highest)
16. Wisconsin16
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77 years (16th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (18th highest)
15. New Hampshire
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.1 years (15th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.6 years (14th highest)
14. Rhode Island
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77 years (17th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.8 years (12th highest)
13. Idaho
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.5 years (11th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (20th highest)
12. Oregon
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.3 years (12th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.9 years (11th highest)
11. Utah
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 78 years (4th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (17th highest)
10. Vermont
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.2 years (13th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.3 years (8th highest)
9. Colorado
> Life expectancy at birth: 80 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.8 years (8th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.2 years (9th highest)
8. Washington
> Life expectancy at birth: 80 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.9 years (7th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.1 years (10th highest)
7. New Jersey
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.6 years (10th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.5 years (7th highest)
6. Connecticut
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.7 years (9th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.8 years (4th highest)
5. Massachusetts
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 77.9 years (6th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.8 years (5th highest)
4. Minnesota
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.4 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 78.3 years (2nd highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 82.6 years (6th highest)
3. New York
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.7 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 78.2 years (3rd highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 83.1 years (3rd highest)
2. California
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.9 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 78.4 years (the highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 83.3 years (2nd highest)
1. Hawaii
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.9 years
> Male life expectancy at birth: 78 years (5th highest)
> Female life expectancy at birth: 83.9 years (the highest)