Life Expectancy by State 2026

Life expectancy is the statistical measure of the average time a person is expected to live. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global life expectancy as of 2021 was 71.4 years, a decline from levels before the COVID-19 pandemic hit its peak in 2020.

The average life expectancy at birth in the U.S. varies depending on the source and methodology, but the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS, CDC) reports 2021 life expectancy at birth for the U.S. as 76.4 years overall, 73.5 years for males, and 79.3 years for females.

Factors Affecting Life Expectancy

In general, life expectancy is based on two major factors: genetics and lifestyle choices. These include—but are not limited to—gender, access to quality health care, hygiene, obesity, diet and nutrition, exercise, and crime rates. Overall, the highest life expectancies appear in the healthiest states. Additionally, women tend to live longer than men. In 2021, American men could expect to live 73.5 years on average, while American women could expect to live 79.3 years—a 5.8-year gap.

Top 10 States with the Highest Life Expectancy - Both Genders

Because the above factors vary greatly by state, so do life expectancies. On average, Hawaii residents live longer than residents in any other state, about 79.9 years according to the 2021 data, while Mississippi residents live the shortest lives at 70.9 years. This is a difference of 9.0 years. In general, the Southern states have lower life expectancies than other parts of the country.

States with the Highest Life Expectancies

The ten states with the longest life expectancies in 2021, in order, are Hawaii (79.9), Massachusetts (79.6), Connecticut (79.2), New Jersey (79.0), New York (79.0), Minnesota (78.8), New Hampshire (78.5), Rhode Island (78.5), Vermont (78.4), and California (78.3). Hawaii has the longest life expectancy in the United States at 81.5 years. Women in Hawaii had the highest female life expectancy in 2021 at 83.1 years (male Hawaii life expectancy in 2021 was 77.0). Physical activity is high in the state, and its 25% obesity rate is the third-lowest nationwide. Low obesity rates are common amnong states with high life expectancies, with several of the top 10 states having obesity percentages in the mid-to=high 20s, such as Colorado’s 24.9% in 2023.

States with the Lowest Life Expectancies

The ten states with the lowest life expectancies, (both sexes, 2021), from lowest upward, are: Mississippi (70.9), West Virginia (71.0), Alabama (72.0), Louisiana (72.2), Kentucky (72.3), Tennessee (72.4), Arkansas (72.5), Oklahoma (72.7), New Mexico (73.0), and South Carolina (73.5). Mississippi’s longevity is the lowest in the United States at 70.9 years. Mississippi men live the shortest lives on average: 67.7 years. Mississippi is the country’s second-most-obese state, with 40.1% of adults being obese in 2023. Most of the ten most obese states are also on the list of the ten states with the shortest life spans. In general, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Arkansas are considered the least-healthy states, with high rates of obesity, excessive drinking, cancer, and heart disease, and low-quality health care.