Over the course of the 20th century, the average American's lifespan took a big jump—the key part being on average. A new study finds that while some states made major gains in life expectancy over the past century, others have barely moved the needle. The study published Monday in JAMA Network Open shows little change in life expectancy for people born in southern US states between 1900 and 2000, especially for women. Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health studied 179 million deaths, including 77 million women and 102 million men. They examined life expectancy by birth cohort instead of just calendar years, "meaning entire generations are tracked," per NBC News.
Women born in West Virginia in 2000 have a life expectancy of 75.3 years, one year longer than those born in 1900, reports CBS News. For men in West Virginia, the increase was about nine years over the century. In comparison, women born in New York in 2000 have a life expectancy of about 92 years, about 20 years longer than in 1900. Men in New York saw an increase to about 88 years, almost 28 years longer.
Nationally, women's life expectancy grew from 73.8 years (1900) to 84.1 years (2000). Men's life expectancy rose from 62.8 to 80.3 years. For men, longevity gains plateaued in many states after 1950. Since then, male life expectancy increased by less than 2 years in many areas.
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States with the least change in women's life expectancy from 1900 to 2000 include West Virginia (74.3 to 75.3), Oklahoma (76.7 to 76, a decrease), Kentucky (74.9 to 76.5), Mississippi (73.2 to 76.6), and Arkansas (75.7 to 76.6). For men, Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee had life expectancies of 61.5–63.7 (1900) and 71.8–73.4 (2000), with most increases before 1950. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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