The average American woman born today can expect to live about 81.4 years, based on 2024 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. That figure represents a steady recovery from the sharp drop caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it sits nearly five years longer than the average for American men (76.5 years).
How This Number Has Changed Over Time
A century ago, a woman born in the United States could expect to live roughly 58 years. By 1950, that number had jumped to about 78 years, driven largely by vaccines, antibiotics, safer childbirth, and cleaner water. By 2000, female life expectancy reached approximately 84 years. The gains since then have been slower, reflecting the reality that the easiest victories against early death have already been won.
The pandemic reversed years of progress. Female life expectancy dropped from a pre-pandemic peak to 80.2 in 2022. It climbed back to 81.1 in 2023, then to 81.4 in 2024. That trajectory suggests women’s longevity is stabilizing, though it hasn’t fully returned to the levels projected before COVID-19.
Why Women Live Longer Than Men
The nearly five-year gap between men’s and women’s life expectancy isn’t just about lifestyle choices. It starts at the genetic level. Women carry two X chromosomes, which means if one has a defective gene, the other can often compensate. Men, with only one X chromosome, don’t have that backup. This matters because the X chromosome contains gene segments that influence immune function, so women tend to mount stronger immune responses throughout life.
Hormones play a role too. Testosterone is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and greater risk-taking behavior, both of which contribute to earlier death in men. On the behavioral side, women are more likely to seek medical care early, eat healthier diets, and use less tobacco and alcohol. Men also die by suicide at significantly higher rates, which pulls their average life expectancy down.
Life Expectancy Varies Widely by Race
The national average of 81.4 years masks significant disparities. Overall life expectancy by race and ethnicity in 2023 ranged from 85.2 years for Asian Americans to 70.1 years for American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Hispanic Americans averaged 81.3 years, White Americans 78.4, and Black Americans 74.0. Gender gaps of roughly five years persist within each group, meaning women in every racial category outlive their male counterparts.
Death rates have been falling across all groups. From 2022 to 2023, death rates dropped 7.9% for Hispanic women, 7.3% for Black women, 5.7% for Asian women, 4.2% for White women, and 13.5% for American Indian and Alaska Native women. That last figure reflects a particularly steep pandemic-era spike that is now correcting.
Where You Live Changes the Number
Geography matters almost as much as genetics. Women in Hawaii have the longest life expectancy in the country at 84.0 years, while women in West Virginia have the shortest at 77.3 years. That 6.7-year gap between states is larger than the gap between men and women nationally. Factors like poverty rates, access to healthcare, obesity prevalence, and smoking rates all contribute to these regional differences.
Life Expectancy After 65
If you’re a woman who has already reached 65, the picture looks even better than the “at birth” numbers suggest. That’s because life expectancy at birth is an average that includes everyone, including those who die young from accidents, illness, or violence. Once you’ve made it to 65, those risks are behind you.
A 65-year-old American woman can expect to live an additional 20 years, reaching roughly age 85. This number is particularly relevant for retirement and financial planning. It increased from 20.2 additional years in 2022 to 20.7 in 2023, reflecting the broader post-pandemic recovery.
The Leading Threats to Women’s Longevity
Heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 were the three leading causes of death for Americans in 2021, accounting for 48% of all female deaths that year. Heart disease remains the single biggest killer of American women, a fact that surprises many people who associate it primarily with men. Cancer, particularly lung and breast cancer, is the second leading threat.
Maternal mortality, while statistically small in its effect on overall life expectancy, highlights persistent inequities. In 2024, 649 women died from pregnancy-related causes, a rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. Black women faced a maternal mortality rate of 44.8 per 100,000, more than three times the rate for Hispanic women (12.1) and more than three times the rate for White women (14.2). Women over 40 faced the highest age-related risk at 62.3 per 100,000 births.