Thanks to the pandemic, life expectancy is down significantly nationwide, declining to 77 years in 2020 from 78.8 in 2019. But what do things look like on a state-by-state basis? The CDC recently released state-by-state numbers broken down by overall life expectancy and life expectancy by gender. The numbers are from 2019, so the pandemic’s effect is not yet realized, but they still offer an interesting look at geographical differences. Most states with below-average life expectancies are in the South, while the states with above-average numbers are in the Northeast and on the West Coast. Curious to find out what the life expectancy is in your state? Read on.
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Mississippi
Overall life expectancy: 74.4
Men:71.2
Women: 77.6
Mississippi holds the unfortunate titles of shortest overall life expectancy and shortest life expectancy for men. It also has the starkest contrast between life expectancy for men and women with a difference of 6.4 years.
Related: Life Expectancy the Year You Were Born
West Virginia
Overall life expectancy:74.5
Men: 71.9
Women: 77.3
West Virginia is where women can expect to live the shortest lives in the country at 77.3 years.
Related: The Coldest and Warmest Cities in Every State
Alabama
Overall life expectancy: 75.2
Men: 72.2
Women:78.2
Alabama is third to last when it comes to men’s life expectancy.
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Kentucky
Overall life expectancy: 75.5
Men: 72.9
Women: 78
Related: Secrets of People Who Lived Past 100
Tennessee
Overall life expectancy:75.6
Men:72.8
Women: 78.5
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Arkansas
Overall life expectancy: 75.7
Men: 73
Women: 78.4
Oklahoma
Overall life expectancy: 75.7
Men:73.2
Women: 78.3
Louisiana
Overall life expectancy: 75.7
Men: 72.8
Women: 78.6
Related: Best and Worst States for Women
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South Carolina
Overall life expectancy: 76.8
Men: 73.9
Women: 79.7
Ohio
Overall life expectancy: 76.9
Men: 74.3
Women: 79.5
New Mexico
Overall life expectancy:76.9
Men:73.9
Women:80.1
New Mexico is second when it comes to the difference in life expectancy of men vs. women, with 6.2 years separating the sexes.
Missouri
Overall life expectancy: 76.9
Men: 74.1
Women:79.8
Related: Countries Where the Population is Growing Fastest and Where It’s Shrinking
Indiana
Overall life expectancy: 77
Men:74.5
Women: 79.5
Georgia
Overall life expectancy: 77.4
Men:74.9
Women: 79.9
North Carolina
Overall life expectancy: 77.6
Men:75
Women: 80.1
Wyoming
Overall life expectancy: 77.7
Men:75.4
Women:80.5
Alaska
Overall life expectancy: 77.7
Men: 75.8
Women: 79.9
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Michigan
Overall life expectancy: 78
Men: 75.6
Women: 80.3
Nevada
Overall life expectancy: 78
Men:75.6
Women:80.6
District of Columbia
Overall life expectancy:78
Men: 74.9
Women:80.8
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Delaware
Overall life expectancy:78.1
Men:75.1
Women: 81
Kansas
Overall life expectancy: 78.2
Men: 75.9
Women:80.4
Maine
Overall life expectancy: 78.3
Men: 75.8
Women: 80.9
Pennsylvania
Overall life expectancy: 78.3
Men: 75.7
Women: 80.9
South Dakota
Overall life expectancy: 78.4
Men: 76.1
Women: 80.8
Montana
Overall life expectancy: 78.4
Men: 76.2
Women: 80.8
The life expectancy of men in Montana hews close to the national average of 76.3.
Maryland
Overall life expectancy: 78.5
Men: 75.8
Women: 81.2
The life expectancy of women in Maryland falls just shy of the national average of 81.4.
Texas
Overall life expectancy: 78.6
Men:76.1
Women:81
North Dakota
Overall life expectancy: 78.8
Men:76.3
Women: 81.5
North Dakota’s life expectancy for men matches the national average for men.
Arizona
Overall life expectancy: 78.8
Men: 76.1
Women: 81.6
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Illinois
Overall life expectancy: 79
Men: 76.4
Women:81.5
Related:People Are Abandoning These 3 States
Iowa
Overall life expectancy: 79
Men: 76.5
Women: 81.6
Florida
Overall life expectancy: 79
Men: 76.3
Women:81.8
Related: Places in America With the Most Seniors
Virginia
Overall life expectancy: 79.1
Men: 76.8
Women:81.3
Nebraska
Overall life expectancy: 79.2
Men: 77.1
Women: 81.3
Wisconsin
Overall life expectancy: 79.3
Men:77
Women: 81.5
New Hampshire
Overall life expectancy: 79.4
Men: 77.1
Women: 81.6
Rhode Island
Overall life expectancy: 79.5
Men: 77
Women:81.8
Idaho
Overall life expectancy: 79.5
Men:77.5
Women: 81.5
Oregon
Overall life expectancy: 79.6
Men:77.3
Women: 81.9
Utah
Overall life expectancy: 79.7
Men:78
Women: 81.5
Utah has the smallest gap between men’s and women’s life expectancy, with a difference of 3.5 years.
Related: Which State Has Grown the Most in the Past 10 Years?
Vermont
Overall life expectancy: 79.8
Men:77.2
Women: 82.3
Colorado
Overall life expectancy: 80
Men:77.8
Women:82.2
Washington
Overall life expectancy:80
Men: 77.9
Women: 82.1
New Jersey
Overall life expectancy:80.1
Men: 77.6
Women: 82.5
Connecticut
Overall life expectancy: 80.3
Men: 77.7
Women: 82.8
Massachusetts
Overall life expectancy:80.4
Men:77.9
Women: 82.8
Minnesota
Overall life expectancy: 80.4
Men: 78.3
Women: 82.6
New York
Overall life expectancy: 80.7
Men:78.2
Women:83.1
California
Overall life expectancy:80.9
Men:78.4
Women:83.3
While Hawaii boasts the highest overall life expectancy in the nation, California beats the Aloha State for the claim of the longest life expectancy for men.
California also comes in second in the nation for the longest life expectancy for women.
Related: The Best and Worst Cities in America for Making Ends Meet
Hawaii
Overall life expectancy: 80.9
Men:78
Women: 83.9
In Hawaii, the life expectancy for women is the highest in the nation, at 83.9 years. The state also has the fifth-largest gap in the life expectancy of women vs. men at 5.9 years.
