U.S. life expectancy: the bottom seven states

Life expectancy declined in the United States in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread and drug overdose deaths continued due to the opioid epidemic.

The latest figures were published in the report, “U.S. State Life Tables, 2020,” by the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Compared to the year before, Americans’ life expectancy at birth dropped to 77 years, with the age 74.2 years for males and 79.9 years for females.

“Overall, life expectancy in the United States declined by 1.8 years from 2019 to 2020, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths),” the report said.

Among the 50 states and Washington D.C., here are the bottom seven states where life expectancy from birth does not reach 74 years. The rank numbers indicate order of total life expectancy, but the numbers and rankings vary for life expectancy for women and men.