Age, some people say, is more than a number. But there is much to be learned from the latest life expectancy numbers for the United States.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that the life expectancy of Washington residents declined to 78.2 years during pandemic-affected 2021. The previous year, it was 79.2 years, and in 2019 it was 80.0.
Washington is not the only state to see a decline. Nationally, life expectancy was 76.4 years in 2021, down from 78.8 years in 2019. Overall, our state ranks 11th in terms of expected lifespan.
Of course, this is neither a predictor nor a warning for individuals; numerous factors play a role in determining how long each of us will live. But life expectancy numbers reflect the general health of the population, providing insight to our habits, environment and health care.
That is why the numbers are important. As a 2022 article from the Harvard Medical School asserts: “Those with the shortest life expectancies in the U.S. tend to have the most poverty, face the most food insecurity, and have less or no access to health care — all factors that contribute to lower life expectancy. Additionally, groups with lower life expectancy tend to have higher-risk jobs that can’t be performed virtually, live in more crowded settings, and have less access to vaccination, which increases the risk of becoming sick with or dying of COVID-19.”
In other words, life expectancy is a sort of catch-all statistic that demonstrates how we are doing in other areas.
For example, the 10 states with the longest life expectancy are Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and California. With the exception of Minnesota, they all are in the Northeast or the West — areas in which public health and environmental protections are embraced by the populace. It might or might not be a coincidence that each of those states expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, as did Washington.
Meanwhile, the three states with the shortest life expectancy are Mississippi, West Virginia and Alabama — the states that also have the lowest per-capita income. Personal wealth and government policies play a large role in individual health, and discrepancies are large across the United States.
Overall, however, the issue is not about comparing one state to another. It is about the nation as a whole, and the numbers there tell a disturbing story. According to a recent study led by Penn State University, the United States has the lowest life expectancy among English-speaking nations. Australians, for example, live four or five years longer than their American counterparts.
“Life expectancy is much lower in the U.S. than in other English-speaking countries primarily because Americans die at higher rates at the young and middle ages compared to their peers living in other countries,” author Jessica Ho told Newsweek.
For example, firearms have recently surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans aged 19 and younger. For another example, the rate of overdose deaths in the United States is the highest among developed nations.
The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in reducing life expectancy in the United States — as it did in other countries. But overall, the numbers are a reflection of American society as a whole, demonstrating that we are not doing a very good job of taking care of ourselves or our neighbors.
