Life expectancy is the leading indicator of well-being in a given region. The higher the index, the better the standard of living in a state or country. In the United States, between 2022 and 2023, the figure decreased due to various problems. However, in 2024, there was a slight increase, according to data from Macrotrends. Life expectancy is based primarily on mortality rates. To calculate the life expectancy at birth, divide the total number of person-years lived beyond the age in question, in this case 0, by the number of newborns.
While life expectancy varies by sex, race, and current age, overall, life expectancy in the United States at birth is projected to reach 79.25 years by 2024, according to the research platform. These figures represent an increase of 0.18% compared to data for 2023 (79.11 years) and 0.08% compared to figures for 2022 (79.05 years). In the United States, between 2022 and 2023, the figure decreased due to various problems, namely because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in drug overdoses recorded across the country. This year, drug overdose deaths have begun to fall for the first time in over a decade, and that is expected to be reflected in the average life expectancy figures for this year.
The ten states with the lowest life expectancy in the United States in 2024
The company considered data from the National Vital Statistics Report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to determine the list, dated August 21, 2024. Life expectancy is one of the leading indicators of well-being in a given region. However, it often masks the entire story, as well as the inequalities that exist behind the figure. For instance, in the United States, there are wide discrepancies in life expectancy when looking at the economic income of an individual. The higher the index, the better the standard of living in a state or country, particularly their ability to access medical care. The Equality of Opportunity Project found that if one compares the life expectancy of men in the bottom one percent of earners to those in the top one percent, the latter outlives the former by an average of fifteen years; for women, the difference is close to ten years.
While life expectancy varies by sex, race, and economic status, Macrotrends expects life expectancy to hit 79.25 years in 2024. These figures represent an increase of 0.18% compared to data for 2023 (79.11 years) and 0.08% compared to figures for 2022 (79.05) years) states with the lowest life expectancy at birth in the United States:
- South Carolina: 73.5 years
- New Mexico: 73.0 years
- Oklahoma: 72.7 years
- Arkansas: 72.5 years
- Tennessee: 72.4 years
- Kentucky: 72.3 years
- Louisiana: 72.2 years
- Alabama: 72.0 years
- West Virginia: 71.0 years
- Mississippi: 70.9 years
Source: Insider Monkey