Women Outlive Men By Over Five Years: Key National Statistics
Women live significantly longer than men in the U.S. The current national gender disparity is 5.3 years – with 2023 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study data suggesting that men on average live to the age of 75.8, while women reach a relatively ripe 81.1.
As part of our study, we dig into the details behind this sizable differential, look at gender mortality disparities across states and regions, and consider some of the contributory factors behind the numbers.
Some Factors Behind the Gender Mortality Gap
The three main causes of death in the U.S. in 2023 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents. CDC data tells us that 457 men from every 100,000 of the national population succumbed to one of those three causes during that year – while only 289 women did.
Men were also almost four times as likely to die by suicide than women, and twice as likely to perish due to accidental death and Parkinson’s. Only Alzheimer’s kills women at a higher rate than men.
If we also fold into the equation a number of other issues – according to the Men’s Health Forum, American men drink (and binge drink) and smoke more than American women, and are far less likely to seek medical care or mental health treatment – we can further understand the gender disparity.
Even once both men and women reach 65, women still maintain a significant longevity advantage, living on average 2.7 years longer (a further 19.7 years) compared to men, who on average manage an extra 17 years: something anyone planning their retirement should factor in.
Racial/Ethnic Differentials
A man or woman’s race and ethnicity can make a huge difference to their life expectancy. According to study data, a non-Hispanic Asian person, for example, is expected to live an average 84.4 years, with non-Hispanic Asian women enjoying the highest lifespan of all with 86.3 years.
Whereas an American Indian and Alaska Native Non-Hispanic person should only expect an average span of 67.8 years, with the average male in this demographic reaching just 64.5 years – figures which represent an immense disparity between the top and bottom of the U.S. lifespan list.
Here’s a short breakdown of racial-ethnic life expectancy levels, including male/female disparities.
- Asian Non-Hispanic: 84.4 years
- Women 86.3 years / Men 82.3 years
- Hispanic Population: 80.0 years
- Women 82.8 years / Men 77 years
- White Non-Hispanic: 77.5 years
- Women 80.1 years / Men 75.1 years
- Black Non-Hispanic: 72.8 years
- Women 76.5 years / Men 69.1 years
- American Indian and Alaska Native Non-Hispanic: 67.8 years
- Women 71.3 years / Men 64.5 years
A place at the top of the list for Asian non-Hispanic people is no accident, according to National Library of Medicine (NLM) data. Their diet – which heavily features plant-based foods, fish (high in Omega 3 oils), and food low in saturated fats and preservatives and rich in antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients – is a big contributory factor.
A subsequent low median body mass helps, as does an exercise-conscious culture and a comparative disinclination for alcohol and smoking.
Analysis of study data also makes a compelling case for a Hispanic population which smokes and drinks less than demographics lower in the life-expectancy rankings.
There’s also data to suggest Hispanic people also eat well, consuming a disproportionately high quantity of beans and other legumes, and that they smoke far less than non-Hispanic White people; additionally, strong Hispanic communal and family ties also play a key role.
Comparatively less vigilant behaviour around food, drink and drugs puts the White non-Hispanic community at a disadvantage, with high rates of cancer and heart disease also bringing life expectancy levels down.
Black non-Hispanic people fare even worse, with a 30% higher risk of heart disease, worse cancer statistics, higher blood pressure levels and more obesity. And, according to NLM data, American and Indian and Alaska Native people make up the bottom of the longevity list, despite a 2.2 years gain over 2023.
This community suffers comparatively high rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and also wrestles with significant levels of substance abuse problems, mental health issues (and a high prevalence of suicide), and violence.
State Mortality Differentials
Beyond broad gender statistics and racial differentials, our analysis of CDC data also reveals enormous life expectancy discrepancies across the United States.
The variation is so extreme that where you live can add – or subtract – a decade of life. At the top of the life-expectancy list is Hawaii, with an average life span of 79.9 years (women 83.1 years; men 77 years).
Massachusetts and Connecticut are second and third, with respective life expectancy rates of 79.6 (82.2 years for women; 76.9 years for men) and 79.2 (women 82 years; men 76.3 years).
At the other end of the scale, analysis of study data reveals that Mississippi’s life-expectancy rate is the lowest in the country at 70.9 years (women 74.3; men 67.7).
The state has suffered a life-expectancy decline since 2019 – its average life expectancy dropping dramatically from that year’s 74.4 years median. Second and third on the lowest life expectancy list are West Virginia, with a 71 years average expectancy (74.2 years for women; 68.1 years for men) and Alabama, with a 72-years-old average lifespan (75.3 years for women; 73.2 years for men).
The smallest gulf between female and male life expectancy is in Utah (a 3.9 year differential); conversely, the largest gap – with women living 7.6 years longer than men – can be found in New Mexico.
In terms of broad state figures, the majority of states near the bottom of the life-expectancy list are in the south of the country. The reasons are complex, but courtesy of Guardian study data can be summarized as a combination of the following issues.
- Higher poverty rates
- Less access to healthy food
- Lower levels of educational attainment
- Less access to quality healthcare
- Less physical exercise
- More likelihood of early life mortality due to accidents and violent incidents
- A higher tendency to smoke and drink.
The Covid-19 Blip: Evolving Mortality Figures
The Covid-19 pandemic initiated a seismic shift in the U.S. mortality rate. CDC study data suggests that, by the end of 2020, with Covid-19 a leading cause of death, men in the U.S. had lost an average 2.8 years of life expectancy, with women losing 2.1 years.
Yet, between 2021 and 2022, the nation’s mortality rate was resurgent across all racial, ethnic and gender groups: men regained 2.3 years of life expectancy, while women recovered 1.8 years – 78.4 years of life across all categories, marginally down on the 78.8 year average life expectancy from 2019.
So, Covid doesn’t appear to have notably impacted U.S. mortality over an extended period. And, looking at the broader picture, seems to have been less significant than other contemporary mortality-denting factors.
Way back in 1860, the average United States life expectancy was 39.4 years – which means that life spans have doubled during the intervening period. Some of the key determining factors include vastly improved infant and child mortality rates, much better food and sanitation, medical advancements, better living spaces, better working conditions and fewer wars.
Despite this massive increase in life expectancy, mortality rates changed significantly on three epochal occasions: during the Civil War (1865-1870); during the first World War and following the Spanish Flu epidemic (1915-1920), and since 2015.
The most recent blip is not significantly down to Covid effects or after-effects, but to a wide combination of factors. Study analysis emphatically confirms that contributory reasons include unbalanced diets (and a burgeoning reliance on convenient, unhealthy food) and subsequent health complications, sedentary lifestyles, high medical costs (and a growing lack of access to healthcare), drug abuse and suicide rates.
Closing the Gender Gap
Ultimately, while there are regional and racial lifespan differences, women consistently and uniformly live significantly longer than men across the U.S.
And the Asian non-Hispanic community would seem to set the template for health-conscious habits and a culture that’s evolved around the kind of practice that affords longevity. Analysis of a Washington Post report suggests that one aspect of American life that certainly warrants close scrutiny is the mental health crisis facing male teens, with suicide rates amongst that demographic subject to a 56% increase between 2014 and 2024.
This is clearly a factor that could tragically correspond to longevity figures over the next few decades, with a depression and anxiety epidemic that requires serious policy focus and investment.
While there are things beyond the control of both men and women across the country – poverty, access to employment and education, and access to healthcare – there are certainly simple and applicable ways everyone can look after their health better.
Men can certainly bridge the longevity gap with better lifestyle choices and more health mindfulness – which, in turn, would quickly raise the national lifespan numbers.
In fact, the British Journal of Sports Medicine believes that Americans over 40 can add up to 5.3 years to their lifespan with a consistent exercise regimen. That’s a lot of precious life that can be earned back.
J. Price McNamara Claim Attorney can help you with any questions about life insurance, or any related policy issues. Get in touch today for more information.
