Life expectancy in Tennessee fell by 1.8 years from 2019 to 2020, according to new CDC data.
By the numbers: Tennesseans lived to an average age of 73.8 — lower than the national average of 77.
- Women in the state (77) tended to live longer than men (70.7).
The big picture: Nationwide, life expectancy also dropped by 1.8 years. The decline is mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries, specifically drug overdose deaths, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.
- COVID-19 caused approximately 375,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2020, while 91,799 people died of a drug overdose in the country that year.
A study released in April 2022 showed that U.S. life expectancy likely dropped again in 2021. The researchers found a net loss of 2.26 years over 2020 and 2021.
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