The average life expectancy in the United States is 79.0 years, based on 2024 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. That number rose 0.6 years from the previous year, continuing a rebound after the sharp declines during the pandemic era. Women live longer on average, reaching 81.4 years compared to 76.5 years for men.
How Life Expectancy Has Changed Over Time
At the start of the 20th century, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was just 47.3 years. That doesn’t mean most people died in their 40s. High rates of infant and childhood mortality from infectious diseases dragged the average down dramatically. Adults who survived childhood often lived into their 60s and 70s even then.
The enormous gains since 1900 came from clean water, antibiotics, vaccines, and better maternal care, all of which slashed early deaths. By the mid-20th century, life expectancy had already climbed past 65. Progress since then has been slower, driven more by treating chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer in older adults.
The most recent dip came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when U.S. life expectancy fell sharply. The 2024 figure of 79.0 years reflects a strong recovery, with male life expectancy jumping 0.7 years in a single year (from 75.8 to 76.5) and female life expectancy rising 0.3 years (from 81.1 to 81.4).
The Gender Gap: Why Women Live Longer
Women in the U.S. outlive men by nearly five years. This gap has persisted for decades and shows up in virtually every country on earth. Several factors contribute. Men have higher rates of heart disease at younger ages, are more likely to die from accidents and drug overdoses, and historically have had higher rates of smoking and heavy drinking. Biological differences play a role too: estrogen appears to offer some cardiovascular protection before menopause, and having two X chromosomes may provide a genetic backup against certain inherited vulnerabilities.
What Kills Americans Most Often
The leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease, responsible for roughly 683,000 deaths per year. Cancer follows closely at about 620,000. These two conditions alone account for more deaths than all other causes combined, and they disproportionately affect older adults, which is why the average age of death clusters in the late 70s.
After heart disease and cancer, the list shifts in ways that pull the average down. Accidents, including car crashes and falls, kill nearly 200,000 Americans annually and tend to strike younger. Stroke accounts for about 167,000 deaths, and chronic lung diseases cause roughly 146,000.
One factor that uniquely drags down U.S. life expectancy is the opioid crisis. Research from Johns Hopkins found that fatal opioid overdoses lower the nation’s average life expectancy by close to a full year. During the early pandemic years, opioid deaths alone shaved about eight months off the national average. Because overdose deaths often occur in people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, each one has an outsized effect on the overall number.
How the U.S. Compares Globally
Despite spending more on healthcare than any other nation, the U.S. lags behind most wealthy countries. American life expectancy of 78.4 years (the figure used in the most recent international comparison) sits 2.7 years below the average for OECD countries, the group of 38 high-income nations. Countries like Japan, Switzerland, and Australia routinely post averages above 83 years.
The gap is driven by factors that are largely American problems at this scale: high rates of drug overdose, gun violence, obesity, and uneven access to healthcare. Other wealthy nations have lower rates of all four.
Life Expectancy Varies Widely by State
Where you live in the U.S. matters more than many people realize. Based on 2022 state-level data, Hawaii leads the country at 80.0 years, followed by Massachusetts (79.8), New Jersey (79.6), New York (79.5), and Connecticut (79.4). These states tend to have higher incomes, better access to healthcare, and lower rates of smoking and obesity.
At the other end, West Virginia has the shortest life expectancy at 72.2 years, followed by Mississippi (72.6), Kentucky (73.6), Louisiana (73.8), and Alabama (73.8). That’s a gap of nearly eight years between the top and bottom states, roughly the same difference as between the U.S. and a lower-middle-income country. The states with the lowest life expectancy share common challenges: higher poverty rates, fewer healthcare providers, and greater burdens of chronic disease and substance use.
What “Average” Actually Means for You
Life expectancy at birth is a population-level snapshot. It tells you how long a baby born today would live if current death rates held steady for their entire life. It doesn’t predict any individual’s lifespan. If you’ve already reached 65, for instance, your remaining life expectancy is considerably higher than these numbers suggest, because you’ve already survived the risks that claim younger people.
The factors with the biggest influence on individual longevity are well established: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, managing blood pressure and blood sugar, and avoiding heavy alcohol and drug use. Together, these account for a larger share of the variation in lifespan than genetics does for most people. The national average is a useful benchmark, but your own trajectory depends heavily on choices and circumstances that no single number can capture.