(HealthDay News) — From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth declined for 39 US states and increased for 11 states, according to the Aug. 21 National Vital Statistics Reports, a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Elizabeth Arias, PhD, from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, MD, and colleagues present complete period life tables for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by sex based on age-specific death rates in 2021.
The researchers found that Hawaii had the highest life expectancy at birth of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and Mississippi had the lowest (79.9 and 70.9 years, respectively). From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth decreased and increased for 39 and 11 states, respectively, and remained unchanged for the District of Columbia. In 2021, life expectancy at age 65 years varied from 16.1 to 20.6 years in Mississippi and Hawaii, respectively. Females in all states and the District of Columbia had higher life expectancy at birth. Between males and females, the difference in life expectancy ranged from 3.9 to 7.6 years in Utah and New Mexico, respectively.
“Overall, life expectancy in the United States declined by 0.6 years from 2020 to 2021, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths),” the authors write.
