According to the latest data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, among the 50 states in the U.S., it is the people in Hawaii that enjoy the longest life expectancy at an average of 80.9 years old.
Hawaiian women live even longer at 83.9 years old, while the life expectancy for women in all of the states went up for this period using the death and population data from 2019.
The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics also ranked California, New York, Minnesota, and Massachusetts as part of the top five states, along with Hawaii, with the longest life expectancy for both male and female residents. On the other hand, the Southern states comprising Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, West Virginia, and Mississippi were at the bottom of the list, with the latter's residents having the shortest life expectancy at 74.4 years, according to CBS News.
The average life expectancy for the whole country is 78.8 years old and is largely unchanged compared to the data from 2018.
Not the First Time for Hawaii
In 2019, Hawaii was also the top state with the longest life expectancy based on death and population data from 2016, per USA Today. The Aloha State has been consistent in the rankings as it has the second-lowest rate of obesity in the country. Hawaii is also low in smoking and has a substantial ratio of doctors and dentists to the patients.
The rankings didn't include reports on the poverty level per state, but Mississippi has one of the biggest percentages of residents who live below the poverty line at 19.5 percent. Similarly, the other low-ranking states are also some of the poorest areas in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Elizabeth Arias, who led the creation of the report, said that life expectancy in the U.S. is usually linked to the individual's socioeconomic status. She said that the poor and disadvantaged areas in the country also have higher cases of cancer, stroke, and heart diseases. On the other hand, Hawaii has only nine percent of residents living below the poverty line.
Other factors impacting life expectancy include access to health care, lifestyle, and education. Dr. Susan Rogers of the Physicians for a National Health Program said that the report highlights the crucial aspect of Medicare coverage for every American.
Life Expectancy Dips in COVID
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that general life expectancy among Americans fell in 2020 when the pandemic struck. The decline has been the largest since the Second World War, and it's even worse for the Black and Hispanic Americans' population.
The CDC said that over 3.3 million died in 2021 due to COVID-19, the highest of any deaths in the history of the country. Sociologist Mark Hayward noted that this decline is catastrophic for the population. However, aside from COVID-19, drug overdose and homicides, especially among Black and Hispanic residents, have also led to the life expectancy decline in recent times.
