50 States of New Data on the Drop in Life Expectancy After Age 65

The COVID-19 pandemic stole 1.1 years of life expectancy from the typical 65-year-old U.S. resident between 2019 and 2020, according to the new U.S. State Life Tables, 2020 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The average U.S. life expectancy at age 65 dropped to 18.5 years, from 19.6 years.

The Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries have warned against taking one-year life expectancy changes at face value: The kind of life expectancy estimate included in the new report assumes that COVID-19 mortality will persist at about 2020 levels for years.

But the drop is dramatic, lasted until at least the first quarter of this year, and shows how the current pandemic, and its effects on the economy, U.S. health care system capacity and people’s emotions, have had an impact on mortality that in some ways exceeds the impact of the famous 1918 influenza pandemic.

If the change persists, it could increase uncertainty about the life expectancy figures used in retirement planning and annuity analysis as well as throwing off the calculations used to determine how much life insurance clients need.

The new state life tables report shows that the change in life expectancy at the state level ranged from one-tenth of a year, in Maine, up to 1.9 years, in one state.

For a look at the five biggest state losses of years of life expectancy at age 65, see the gallery above.

For data on all 50 states, see the table below.

Loss of Years of Life After Age 65, Between 2019 and 2020

	Life Expectancy at Age 65 (in years)
	2018	2019	2020	Decrease in years (between 2019 and 2020)
Alabama	17.6	17.7	16.6	1.1
Alaska	19.2	19.2	18.8	0.4
Arizona	19.6	19.8	18.5	1.3
Arkansas	17.9	17.8	16.9	0.9
California	20.3	20.5	19.5	1.0
Colorado	20.0	20.1	19.0	1.1
Connecticut	20.3	20.2	19.0	1.2
Delaware	19.2	19.7	18.4	1.3
District of Columbia	19.6	19.9	17.7	2.2
Florida	19.9	20.1	19.2	0.9
Georgia	18.4	18.6	17.4	1.2
Hawaii	21.1	21.2	21.0	0.2
Idaho	19.3	19.5	18.8	0.7
Illinois	19.4	19.4	18.0	1.4
Indiana	18.3	18.4	17.3	1.1
Iowa	19.3	19.3	18.2	1.1
Kansas	18.8	18.9	17.9	1.0
Kentucky	17.5	17.7	16.9	0.8
Louisiana	17.9	18.2	16.6	1.6
Maine	19.1	19.1	19.0	0.1
Maryland	19.4	19.5	18.4	1.1
Massachusetts	19.9	20.1	18.9	1.2
Michigan	18.9	18.9	17.8	1.1
Minnesota	20.0	20.0	19.1	0.9
Mississippi	17.5	17.5	16.1	1.4
Missouri	18.4	18.6	17.4	1.2
Montana	19.5	19.3	18.4	0.9
Nebraska	19.3	19.4	18.3	1.1
Nevada	18.7	18.7	17.8	0.9
New Hampshire	19.5	19.5	19.1	0.4
New Jersey	19.9	20.0	18.2	1.8
New Mexico	19.5	19.6	18.3	1.3
New York	20.2	20.3	18.4	1.9
North Carolina	18.7	18.8	18.0	0.8
North Dakota	19.7	19.5	18.2	1.3
Ohio	18.4	18.5	17.5	1.0
Oklahoma	17.6	17.8	16.6	1.2
Oregon	19.7	19.6	19.3	0.3
Pennsylvania	19.1	19.3	18.1	1.2
Rhode Island	19.5	19.6	18.6	1.0
South Carolina	18.6	18.8	17.7	1.1
South Dakota	19.7	19.6	18.3	1.3
Tennessee	17.9	18.0	17.0	1.0
Texas	18.9	19.0	17.7	1.3
Utah	19.5	19.6	18.8	0.8
Vermont	19.8	19.9	19.5	0.4
Virginia	19.3	19.3	18.6	0.7
Washington	19.8	19.8	19.5	0.3
West Virginia	17.6	17.7	17.0	0.7
Wisconsin	19.5	19.5	18.5	1.0
Wyoming	19.0	19.1	18.1	1.0
UNITED STATES	19.5	19.6	18.5	1.1
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.