Health and Healthcare
The State Where People Live the Longest
Published:
Last Updated:
The lifespan of Americans has shortened recently, reversing a decade-long trend. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), life expectancy at birth declined to 76.1 years in 2021 from 77.0 years the year before. From 2019 to 2020, the drop was 1.8 years. CDC experts wrote, “The 0.9 year drop in life expectancy in 2021, along with a 1.8 year drop in 2020, was the biggest two-year decline in life expectancy since 1921-1923.” COVID-19 and drug-related deaths were primary contributors to the trends.
[in-text-ad]
Longevity, at least in relative terms, is not as great a problem in some states as in others. Hawaii stands out as the best example. The expected life expectancy at birth is 80.7 years. That is significantly longer than the next state, Minnesota, at 79.1 years. The states could hardly be more different in climate, population density, or cost of living. (Hawaii’s is the highest among all states).
Most states where people live a long time are clustered in northern New England and the West and Plains States. Vermont is number three on the list lifespan list at 78.8. New Hampshire is number five at 79. The list of long-lived states includes Colorado (78.4 years), Oregon (78.8) and Utah (78.6 years).
It is not clear why there are these clusters. “Healthy lifestyles” are among them. People in many of these states eat better, exercise more, and have fewer bad habits. Researchers at Life Extension pointed out, “Seven of the 10 states with the longest life expectancies also rank in the top 10 for living a healthy lifestyle. D.C. is a notable exception as our nation’s capital ranks No. 23 for life expectancy despite having the No. 6 most healthy lifestyle.”
The far end of the spectrum clearly includes states where people have bad health habits and also tend to be poor financially, Notable among these are primarily southern States, led by West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
These are the counties where people live the longest.
Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.