The average life expectancy in the United States is 79.0 years as of 2024, an all-time high. That figure rose 0.6 years from 78.4 in 2023, continuing a rebound after sharp declines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it remains nearly a full year below the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
How 2024 Compares to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Life expectancy dropped dramatically in 2020 and 2021, driven by COVID-19 deaths. It has climbed back steadily since then, but the recovery isn’t complete. Research analyzing vital statistics through 2024 found that life expectancy was still about 0.86 years lower than in 2019. In practical terms, the country has regained most of the lost ground but hasn’t fully returned to where it was before the pandemic.
Life Expectancy for Men vs. Women
Women in the U.S. live roughly five years longer than men on average. That gap has been consistent for decades and is even wider globally, where women outlive men by about seven years. The difference is partly biological (estrogen appears to protect against heart disease earlier in life) and partly behavioral. Men have higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, and occupational hazards, and they’re less likely to seek routine medical care.
Differences by Race and Ethnicity
Life expectancy varies enormously depending on racial and ethnic group. Based on 2023 data:
- Asian Americans: 85.2 years
- Hispanic Americans: 81.3 years
- White Americans: 78.4 years
- Black Americans: 74.0 years
- American Indian and Alaska Native people: 70.1 years
The 15-year gap between Asian Americans and American Indian/Alaska Native people is striking. It reflects deep differences in access to healthcare, rates of chronic disease, poverty, and environmental exposures. Black Americans also face a life expectancy more than four years shorter than White Americans, a disparity tied to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and infant mortality, along with systemic barriers to quality care.
Where You Live Matters
Geography plays a surprisingly large role. Among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., Hawaii had the highest life expectancy at 80.0 years in 2022, while West Virginia had the lowest at 72.2 years. That’s a gap of nearly eight years between residents of two states in the same country. States in the Southeast and Appalachia consistently rank at the bottom, reflecting higher rates of obesity, smoking, opioid use, and limited access to healthcare. States with higher incomes, better insurance coverage, and lower smoking rates tend to cluster near the top.
How the U.S. Compares to Other Wealthy Countries
Despite spending far more on healthcare than any other nation, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among peer high-income countries. The gap is substantial. In 2024, Switzerland led at 84.2 years, followed by Japan at 84.1 and Sweden at 83.8. The U.K. and Germany, not typically considered global health leaders, still outpaced the U.S. at 81.3 and 81.2 years respectively.
That 5.2-year gap between the U.S. and Switzerland persists for both sexes. Women in comparable countries live about 4% longer than American women, while men in those countries live about 5% longer than American men. The disparity grows even wider after age 65: men and women in peer nations can expect roughly 5.5% to 7.4% more remaining years than their American counterparts.
The reasons are well documented. The U.S. has higher rates of gun violence, drug overdose deaths, obesity, and uninsurance. It also lacks the universal healthcare systems and stronger social safety nets found in most peer countries.
Life Expectancy After 65
If you’ve already reached 65, the picture looks better than the headline number suggests. A 65-year-old American in 2024 can expect to live an additional 19.7 years on average, reaching about age 85. That figure increased by 0.2 years from 2023. The reason it’s higher than you might expect from the 79.0 overall number is simple: life expectancy at birth is pulled down by deaths at every age, including infant mortality, accidents in young adulthood, and drug overdoses in middle age. Once you’ve survived past those risks, your remaining years stretch considerably.