Guide Rankings Health Updated May 31, 2026

Life Expectancy by State

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Life Expectancy by State

Ranking - Health

Quick Answer

Life Expectancy by State

  1. 1

    Hawaii has the longest life expectancy of any U.S. state at 81.6 years, attributed to low smoking rates, a diet high in fish and vegetables, near-universal health coverage, and strong community social bonds.

  2. 2

    Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy at roughly 71.9 years — nearly a nine-year gap from Hawaii. West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Kentucky also rank near the bottom, reflecting higher rates of chronic disease, obesity, smoking, and limited access to health care.

  3. 3

    The national average life expectancy at birth is approximately 76.4 years (CDC 2021), which is below many peer nations. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a two-year decline in U.S. life expectancy between 2019 and 2021.

Map

Life Expectancy by State 2026 Map

Years
No data
Life Expectancy by State 2026 Map
Rank State Years
1 Hawaii 81.6
2 Connecticut 80.7
3 Utah 80.4
4 Minnesota 80.1
5 Massachusetts 80
6 Vermont 80
7 Washington 79.8
8 Colorado 79.7
9 New Hampshire 79.5
10 New York 79.4
11 New Jersey 79.3
12 California 79.2
13 Oregon 79
14 Idaho 78.9
15 Nebraska 78.8
16 Maine 78.7
17 North Dakota 78.7
18 Rhode Island 78.6
19 South Dakota 78.5
20 Wisconsin 78.3
21 Iowa 78.1
22 Montana 77.9
23 Virginia 77.9
24 Wyoming 77.9
25 Maryland 77.6
26 Illinois 77.5
27 Florida 77.1
28 Kansas 77
29 Delaware 76.9
30 Pennsylvania 76.7
31 Arizona 76.6
32 Texas 76.2
33 Nevada 75.9
34 Michigan 75.8
35 North Carolina 75.7
36 Missouri 75.5
37 Alaska 75.4
38 Georgia 75.2
39 Indiana 75.1
40 Ohio 75.1
41 South Carolina 75
42 New Mexico 74.1
43 Oklahoma 73.8
44 Tennessee 73.8
45 Kentucky 73.5
46 Arkansas 73.4
47 Alabama 73.2
48 Louisiana 73.1
49 West Virginia 72.8
50 Mississippi 71.9

Hawaii and the Northeast cluster at the top. The Deep South and Appalachian states are the lightest -- a gap of nearly 9 years separates the best and worst states.

Life Expectancy by State Table

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Clean, print-ready version of Life Expectancy by State.

States with the Highest and Lowest Life Expectancy

Highest

81.6
Hawaii flag
Hawaii #1

Lowest

71.9
Mississippi flag
Mississippi #50

Top 10 Highest — Life Expectancy (years)

#1 Hawaii flag Hawaii
81.6
#2 Connecticut flag Connecticut
80.7
#3 Utah flag Utah
80.4
#4 Minnesota flag Minnesota
80.1
#5 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
80
#6 Vermont flag Vermont
80
#7 Washington flag Washington
79.8
#8 Colorado flag Colorado
79.7
#9 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
79.5
#10 New York flag New York
79.4

Top 10 Lowest — Life Expectancy (years)

#50 Mississippi flag Mississippi
71.9
#49 West Virginia flag West Virginia
72.8
#48 Louisiana flag Louisiana
73.1
#47 Alabama flag Alabama
73.2
#46 Arkansas flag Arkansas
73.4
#45 Kentucky flag Kentucky
73.5
#44 Tennessee flag Tennessee
73.8
#43 Oklahoma flag Oklahoma
73.8
#42 New Mexico flag New Mexico
74.1
#41 South Carolina flag South Carolina
75

Why Hawaii Has the Longest Life Expectancy

People walking on a paved trail through a green park
Daily walking in mild weather fits the kind of active routine often linked with longer life expectancy.

Hawaii's 81.6-year life expectancy, more than two years above the next-ranked state, reflects a combination of diet, lifestyle, and access. The state has the lowest obesity rate in the country at 27% and a traditional diet higher in fish, vegetables, and rice than the typical American diet. Smoking rates are among the lowest nationally. Outdoor physical activity is accessible year-round due to the climate.

Hawaii also has the second-lowest uninsured rate in the country at 3.2%, behind only Massachusetts (2.6%), ensuring that most residents receive preventive care and manage chronic conditions before they become fatal. The state's relatively small and tightly connected communities maintain high rates of social engagement, which research consistently links to lower mortality. Connecticut (80.7) and Utah (80.4) are the only other states averaging above 80 years.

Why Mississippi Has the Shortest Life Expectancy

Mississippi's 71.9-year life expectancy is nearly 10 years below Hawaii's and reflects overlapping disadvantages. The state has the second-highest obesity rate at 40.4% (West Virginia is highest at 41.4%), and the highest rates of diabetes, and high rates of heart disease and stroke. Poverty, at 18% of residents, limits access to nutritious food, preventive care, and safe environments for physical activity.

Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving a significant share of low-income adults without health coverage. Uninsured adults are less likely to receive cancer screenings, blood pressure management, or diabetes monitoring, all conditions that become fatal when untreated. West Virginia (72.8) and Louisiana (73.1) follow Mississippi for similar combinations of high poverty, high obesity, and limited healthcare access.

The Stroke Belt: Why the Deep South Clusters at the Bottom

Eight of the ten states with the shortest life expectancy are in the South: Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Public health researchers have documented elevated rates of cardiovascular disease mortality in the region from eastern Arkansas through the Carolinas since the 1960s.

The geographic concentration reflects shared dietary patterns high in sodium and saturated fat, limited access to fresh produce in rural areas, high smoking rates, and historical gaps in healthcare infrastructure. The region also has lower rates of Medicaid expansion than the rest of the country, which limits preventive care for low-income residents.

Utah Ranks 3rd Despite Not Being Wealthy or Coastal

People hiking together on a wide trail in a dry mountain landscape
Active outdoor routines are one of the lifestyle patterns often discussed when comparing long-lived states.

Utah's 80.4-year life expectancy places it third nationally, ahead of Massachusetts and Minnesota. Utah is not a high-income state relative to those neighbors, its median household income is near the national average, and it lacks the coastal healthcare infrastructure of Massachusetts or Connecticut. The explanation is primarily behavioral.

About 62% of Utah residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith tradition that prohibits tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. Utah has the lowest smoking rate in the country at around 9% and among the lowest alcohol consumption rates. These behaviors directly affect the leading causes of premature death. The state also has a young population median age, which raises life expectancy figures mechanically, though age-adjusted data still shows Utah performing well.

Quick Answers

Which state has the highest life expectancy
Hawaii has the highest life expectancy in the U.S. at 81.6 years. The state consistently tops national health rankings due to low smoking rates, an active outdoor lifestyle, a diet rich in fish and vegetables, and a diverse multicultural population that includes large Asian-American communities with above-average health outcomes.
Which state has the lowest life expectancy
Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy at approximately 71.9 years. The state has one of the highest poverty rates (18.0%), the second-highest obesity rate (40.4%), and high rates of tobacco use and cardiovascular disease. Limited access to preventive health care in rural areas compounds these factors.
Why did U.S. life expectancy drop in 2020–2021
U.S. life expectancy fell by 2.7 years between 2019 and 2021, the largest two-year decline since World War II. COVID-19 was the primary cause, accounting for roughly half the decrease. Drug overdoses, heart disease, and other factors contributed to the remainder. The gap between states widened significantly during the pandemic.
What factors most influence life expectancy at the state level
The strongest predictors of state-level life expectancy are smoking rates, obesity rates, poverty, educational attainment, and access to health insurance. States with high rates of preventive care access and low tobacco use tend to cluster at the top of life expectancy rankings.

Methodology

Life expectancy figures are from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 2021 state-level estimates. Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years a person born in that state could expect to live under current age-specific mortality rates. 2021 data reflects the first full year of COVID-19 mortality impact.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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