Life expectancy dropped across the U.S. How long can Texas residents expect to live?

Life expectancy declined from 2019 to 2020 across the United States, according to the Centers For Disease Control. So how long can Texas residents expect to live?

Life expectancy in Texas was not among the highest in the U.S. but it did not fall among the lowest either, according to 2020 data from the National Vital Statistics Reports.

Hawaii was the state with the highest life expectancy for both females and males. Mississippi ranked at the bottom.

Here is what the numbers reveal about Texas.

What is the life expectancy for those in Texas?

Life expectancy data across the United States.
Life expectancy data across the United States.

Texas ranked 30th overall in life expectancy across the U.S., with an average life expectancy of 76.5 years.

Females in the state faired better with an expectancy of 79.3 years while males had 73.7 years.

In 2020, the life expectancy for Texas residents at age 65 was another 17.7 years, ranking the state No. 39 in the U.S. Texas males were expected to live 16.2 more years and females another 19 years.

The states with the greatest decreases in life expectancy at birth from 2019 to 2020 included those in the Southwest and U.S.–Mexico border area, according to the report.

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What state has the highest life expectancy?

Out of all the states and the District of Columbia, Hawaii had the highest life expectancy from birth, 80.7 years in 2020. Females had the highest expectancy with 83.8 years compared to males' 77.6 years.

In 2020, life expectancy at age 65 was 21 years overall in Hawaii. Females are expected to live 22.7 more years and males another 19.

What state has the lowest life expectancy?

Mississippi had the lowest life expectancy from birth: 71.9 years. For females, life expectancy was 75.2 years, compared to males' 68.6 years.

In 2020, life expectancy at age 65 was 16.1 years in Mississippi, with males expected to live another 14.6 years and females another 17.5 years.

What is the life expectancy across the United States?

Life expectancy at birth for the entire United States was 77 in 2020, 74.2 years for males and 79.9 years for females.

In 2021, expectancy dropped slightly to 76.4 years overall, with females at 79.3 years compared to males at 73.5 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Top 5 states where people live longer from birth

States with the highest life expectancy from birth were mostly in the Northeast and West.

  • Hawaii: 80.7 years

  • Washington: 79.2 years

  • Minnesota: 79.1 years

  • California: 79.0 years

  • New Hampshire: 79.0 years

Worst 5 states with life expectancy from birth

  • Mississippi: 71.9 years

  • West Virginia: 72.8 years

  • Louisiana: 73.1 years

  • Alabama: 73.2 years

  • Kentucky: 73.5 years

What is the leading cause of death?

"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, research on U.S. mortality found periods of decline and stagnation in life expectancy at birth and increases in some cause-specific death rates among working-age adults ages 25–64. The trends were attributed to a rise in drug- and alcohol-related and suicide deaths, along with a slowing of decline in deaths due to cardiovascular diseases," according to the CDC.

The number of deaths for which COVID-19 was the underlying cause increased 18.8% from 350,831 in 2020 to 416,893 in 2021.

In 2021, there were 3,464,231 resident deaths registered in the United States, 80,502 more deaths than in 2020.

Nine of the 10 leading causes of death in 2021 remained the same as in 2020. Cancer, heart disease, and COVID-19 were the top three leading causes in both years, according to the CDC.

The top leading causes of death in 2021 across the U.S. were:

  • Heart disease

  • Cancer

  • COVID-19

  • Unintentional injuries

  • Stroke

  • Chronic lower respiratory diseases

  • Alzheimer disease

  • Diabetes

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Life expectancy fell across US. How did Texas rank among states?