US states by life expectancy, 2021

Name: US states by life expectancy, 2021
Creator: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
License: Public domain (US government work); citation requested

Hawaii had the highest life expectancy of 51 states in 2021, at 79.9 years. Mississippi had the lowest, at 70.9 years. The median was 76.3 years. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest79.9Hawaii

Lowest70.9Mississippi

Median76.351 states

All states, 2021

CSV Chart (SVG)

years. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2021 years	Change on 2020
1	Hawaii	79.9	-0.8
2	Massachusetts	79.6	+0.6
3	Connecticut	79.2	+0.8
4	New Jersey	79	+1.5
4	New York	79	+1.3
6	Minnesota	78.8	-0.3
7	New Hampshire	78.5	-0.5
7	Rhode Island	78.5	+0.3
9	Vermont	78.4	-0.4
10	California	78.3	-0.7
11	Utah	78.2	-0.4
11	Washington	78.2	-1
13	Nebraska	77.8	+0.1
13	Wisconsin	77.8	+0.1
15	Colorado	77.7	-0.6
15	Iowa	77.7	+0.2
17	North Dakota	77.6	+0.7
18	Oregon	77.4	-1.4
19	Idaho	77.2	-1.2
19	Maryland	77.2	+0.4
21	Illinois	77.1	+0.3
22	Virginia	76.8	-0.8
23	Maine	76.7	-1.1
24	South Dakota	76.6	-0.1
25	Pennsylvania	76.4	-0.4
26	Delaware	76.3	-0.4
27	Florida	76.1	-1.4
28	Kansas	76	-0.4
29	Montana	75.8	-1
30	Michigan	75.7	-0.3
31	Texas	75.4	-1.1
32	District of Columbia	75.3	0
33	Nevada	75.1	-1.2
34	Arizona	75	-1.3
34	Wyoming	75	-1.3
36	North Carolina	74.9	-1.2
37	Indiana	74.6	-0.4
37	Missouri	74.6	-0.5
39	Alaska	74.5	-2.1
39	Ohio	74.5	-0.8
41	Georgia	74.3	-1.3
42	South Carolina	73.5	-1.3
43	New Mexico	73	-1.5
44	Oklahoma	72.7	-1.4
45	Arkansas	72.5	-1.3
46	Tennessee	72.4	-1.4
47	Kentucky	72.3	-1.2
48	Louisiana	72.2	-0.9
49	Alabama	72	-1.2
50	West Virginia	71	-1.8
51	Mississippi	70.9	-1

Other periods

2021
2020
2019
2018

About this ranking

Average number of years a newborn would live at current age-specific mortality, both sexes.

United States: NCHS period life tables. National figures from 1900 to 1932 cover only the states then in the death registration area. State figures are available for 2018 to 2021.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NCHS: U.S. State Life Expectancy by Sex, 2018 to 2021 (a5a8-jsrq, ncvk-7amm, ss2j-8ajj, it4f-frdc), total. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/life-expectancy.htm. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest life expectancy?

Hawaii, with 79.9 years in 2021, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest life expectancy?

Mississippi, with 70.9 years in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHS: U.S. State Life Expectancy by Sex, 2018 to 2021 (a5a8-jsrq, ncvk-7amm, ss2j-8ajj, it4f-frdc), total. Retrieved 2026-10-09.