You Feeling Okay? Life Expectancy In Illinois Drops By 2 Years

According to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), across the United States, life expectancy dropped to 77 years in 2020, down from 78.8 in 2019. Not one state saw an increase in life expectancy in 2020.

Some states, Illinois being one of them, saw an even bigger decline in overall life expectancy, as we continue to look at what kind of legacy the Covid-19 pandemic is leaving behind.

I guess one positive that you can take away from this would be the fact that with life expectancy, like so many other things, your results may vary.

As A Nation, We Saw An Across-The-Board Drop In Life Expectancy Of About A Year, But 12 States Are Seeing A Bigger Decline Than That

Unsurprisingly, Illinois is one of those states. New York state is the place looking at the biggest decline in life expectancy, with a drop of almost 3 years overall. Hawaii saw the smallest decline in life expectancy, with Hawaiians seeing their time cut by only 0.2 years.

Here in Illinois, according to the NCHS findings, life expectancy declined 2.2 years, to 76.8 for an average between men and women.

Let's Take A Look At The States With The Highest And Lowest Life Expectancies

The National Center for Health Statistics report says that the states whose residents can expect to stick around a bit longer than the general population are these states:

• Hawaii: 80.7
• Washington: 79.2
• Minnesota: 79.1
• (3-way tie) California, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire: 79.0

And with the lowest life expectancies:

• Mississippi: 71.9
• West Virginia: 72.8
• Louisiana: 73.1
• Alabama: 73.2
• Kentucky: 73.5