Californians’ life expectancy dropped during COVID, study says. See where the state ranks now
Life expectancy in California dropped in recent years due to COVID-19 and other factors, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While life expectancy in the Golden State increased from 2018 to 2019, it decreased in 2020 and 2021 due in part to deaths associated with the novel coronavirus, the CDC said a report published in August.
The federal agency cited an increase in unintentional injuries — particularly drug overdose deaths — as another major cause of the lower national life expectancy.
California’s life expectancy rate fell 2.6 years from 2019 to 2021, according to CDC data
In 2019, Californians had a life expectancy of 80.9 years — compared to 78.3 years in 2021.
From 2018 to 2021, California went from the second best state in the United States in terms of life expectancy to the 10th.
How has life expectancy changed in the United States?
The decline in California mirrored a national drop in life expectancy, which dipped from 78.8 years in 2019 to 76.4 years in 2021.
No states’ life expectancies increased during that time period.
However, life expectancy estimates across the nation increased in 2022, which shows that the country might be bouncing back from the pandemic.
A CDC report examining mortality in the United States in 2022 found that life expectancy in the nation increased by 1.1 years from 2021 to 77.5 years. That report was published in March.
The CDC hasn’t yet released 2022 life expectancy data at the state level.
Experts say there could be more good news down the road.
“With further mortality declines in 2023, it is likely that life expectancy will increase again in 2023,” said Bob Anderson, the CDC’s chief mortality statistician.
He cautioned that an increase isn’t certain as the analysis of the data is not complete.
Do women or men live longer in California?
Women have a higher life expectancy than men in California and around the nation.
In California, women tend to live 6.1 years longer than men, according to the 2021 data.
Male California residents have an average life expectancy of 75.3 years, while female residents have a life expectancy of 81.4 years on average.
How does that compare to the United States?
States with lower life expectancies overall tend to have a greater difference in life expectancy between the sexes, according to the report.
Nationally, the life expectancy for women was 5.8 years greater than that of men in 2021.
Men in the United States can expect to live an average of 73.5 years. In contrast, American women have an average life expectancy of 79.3 years.
Which U.S. states have the highest life expectancy?
According to the CDC, Hawaii had the highest life expectancy in the nation in 2021.
Residents in the Aloha State can expect to live 79.9 years on average.
With the exception of Minnesota, the 10 U.S. states with the highest life expectancy predominantly came from the western or northeastern parts of the country, The Bellingham Herald reported in August.
These were the 10 states in terms of life expectancy, according to the CDC:
- Hawaii (79.9 years)
- Massachusetts (79.6)
- Connecticut (79.2)
- New York (79.0)
- New Jersey (79.0)
- Minnesota (78.8)
- New Hampshire (78.5)
- Rhode Island (78.5)
- Vermont (78.4)
- California (78.3)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mississippi had the lowest life expectancy in the nation: 70.9 years.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 8:32 AM.