U.S. Life Expectancy Study Shows Southerners Barely Living Any Longer Than Those Born In 1900

https://studyfinds.org/study-shows-where-americans-are-living-longerand-where-theyre-not/

In a nutshell
Southern states like Oklahoma, Mississippi, and West Virginia have seen minimal improvements in life expectancy over the past century, with some showing less than three years of gain since 1900.
Northeastern and Western states have experienced dramatic improvements, with Washington, D.C. seeing the most striking increase—female life expectancy rose from 63.9 to 93 years.
State policies on issues like tobacco control, healthcare access, and environmental protections likely contribute to these persistent geographic health disparities.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — For those living in Southern states like Mississippi and Oklahoma, a century of medical advances has barely moved the needle on life expectancy, according to a new study. Meanwhile, residents in Northeast and West Coast states have gained decades of extra life over the same period.


The findings paint a troubling picture: eight Southern states (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, and Mississippi) consistently show the weakest improvements in life expectancy. In some, female life expectancy improved less than three years over an entire century, while male life expectancy gained less than two years since 1950.

“Cohort-specific patterns across states reveal wide disparities in mortality,” the researchers write. “Some states have experienced little or no improvements in life expectancy from the 1900 to 2000 birth cohorts.”

Florida, on the other hand, bucks the trend, with male residents especially seeing remarkable life expectancy gains. Female Floridians born in 2000 are expected to live about a decade longer than those born in 1900, while males will live nearly 20 years longer.


Life Expectancy by Birth Cohort
Selected states showing the range of changes over time

Females (Birth Cohort Life Expectancy in Years)
State 1900 1950 2000 Change
Washington, D.C. 63.9 76.8 93.0 +29.1
New York 71.2 82.3 91.9 +20.7
California 73.6 83.2 91.3 +17.7
Massachusetts 74.2 83.6 88.8 +14.6
Florida 75.2 82.8 85.4 +10.2
Texas 74.5 80.1 84.8 +10.3
Missouri 74.8 79.5 79.6 +4.8
Alabama 73.8 77.6 76.8 +3.0
Kentucky 74.9 78.1 76.5 +1.6
West Virginia 74.3 78.4 75.3 +1.0
Oklahoma 76.7 77.5 76.0