Feb 10, 2022 - News
Life expectancy for Pennsylvanians ticks up
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The average life expectancy at birth for Pennsylvanians is 78.3 years, according to 2019 data released Thursday by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
- That's slightly up from 2018, when babies could expect to live to 78.1.
The big picture: The state runs in the middle of the pack nationwide, with Hawaiians tracking the highest average life expectancy at 80.9 years.
- Meanwhile, Mississippi averaged the lowest at 74.4.
Yes, but: The data is from before the pandemic began — and overall U.S. life expectancy fell from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 in 2020.
Zoom in: Philadelphia is ranked the least healthy county in the state, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
- In Philadelphia, life expectancy varies wildly by neighborhood due to a variety of economic and social issues, like poverty, substance abuse and gun violence.
- Some areas of the city separated by a mile have a life expectancy difference of 20 years.