5 States Where Older Adults' Life Expectancy Dropped Most in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic stole 1.1 years of life expectancy from the typical 65-year-old U.S. resident between 2019 and 2020, according to the new U.S. State Life Tables, 2020 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The average U.S. life expectancy at age 65 dropped to 18.5 years, from 19.6 years.

The Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries have warned against taking one-year life expectancy changes at face value: The kind of life expectancy estimate included in the new report assumes that COVID-19 mortality will persist at about 2020 levels for years.

But the drop is dramatic, lasted until at least the first quarter of this year, and shows how the current pandemic, and its effects on the economy, U.S. health care system capacity and people’s emotions, have had an impact on mortality that in some ways exceeds the impact of the famous 1918 influenza pandemic.

If the change persists, it could increase uncertainty about the life expectancy figures used in retirement planning and annuity analysis as well as throwing off the calculations used to determine how much life insurance clients need.

The new state life tables report shows that the change in life expectancy at the state level ranged from one-tenth of a year, in Maine, up to 1.9 years, in one state.

For a look at the five biggest state losses of years of life expectancy at age 65, see the gallery above.

For data on all 50 states, see the table below.

Loss of Years of Life After Age 65, Between 2019 and 2020

Life Expectancy at Age 65 (in years)

2018
2019
2020
Decrease in years (between 2019 and 2020)

Alabama
17.6
17.7
16.6
1.1

Alaska
19.2
19.2
18.8
0.4

Arizona
19.6
19.8
18.5
1.3

Arkansas
17.9
17.8
16.9
0.9

California
20.3
20.5
19.5
1.0

Colorado
20.0
20.1
19.0
1.1

Connecticut
20.3
20.2
19.0
1.2

Delaware
19.2
19.7
18.4
1.3

District of Columbia
19.6
19.9
17.7
2.2

Florida
19.9
20.1
19.2
0.9

Georgia
18.4
18.6
17.4
1.2

Hawaii
21.1
21.2
21.0
0.2

Idaho
19.3
19.5
18.8
0.7

Illinois
19.4
19.4
18.0
1.4

Indiana
18.3
18.4
17.3
1.1

Iowa
19.3
19.3
18.2
1.1

Kansas
18.8
18.9
17.9
1.0

Kentucky
17.5
17.7
16.9
0.8

Louisiana
17.9
18.2
16.6
1.6

Maine
19.1
19.1
19.0
0.1

Maryland
19.4
19.5
18.4
1.1

Massachusetts
19.9
20.1
18.9
1.2

Michigan
18.9
18.9
17.8
1.1

Minnesota
20.0
20.0
19.1
0.9

Mississippi
17.5
17.5
16.1
1.4

Missouri
18.4
18.6
17.4
1.2

Montana
19.5
19.3
18.4
0.9

Nebraska
19.3
19.4
18.3
1.1

Nevada
18.7
18.7
17.8
0.9

New Hampshire
19.5
19.5
19.1
0.4

New Jersey
19.9
20.0
18.2
1.8

New Mexico
19.5
19.6
18.3
1.3

New York
20.2
20.3
18.4
1.9

North Carolina
18.7
18.8
18.0
0.8

North Dakota
19.7
19.5
18.2
1.3

Ohio
18.4
18.5
17.5
1.0

Oklahoma
17.6
17.8
16.6
1.2

Oregon
19.7
19.6
19.3
0.3

Pennsylvania
19.1
19.3
18.1
1.2

Rhode Island
19.5
19.6
18.6
1.0

South Carolina
18.6
18.8
17.7
1.1

South Dakota
19.7
19.6
18.3
1.3

Tennessee
17.9
18.0
17.0
1.0

Texas
18.9
19.0
17.7
1.3

Utah
19.5
19.6
18.8
0.8

Vermont
19.8
19.9
19.5
0.4

Virginia
19.3
19.3
18.6
0.7

Washington
19.8
19.8
19.5
0.3

West Virginia
17.6
17.7
17.0
0.7

Wisconsin
19.5
19.5
18.5
1.0

Wyoming
19.0
19.1
18.1
1.0

UNITED STATES
19.5
19.6
18.5
1.1

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

(Image: Shutterstock)