5 States Where Older Adults' Life Expectancy Dropped the Most in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic stole 1.1 years of life expectancy from the typical 65-year-old U.S. resident between 2019 and 2020, according to the new U.S. State Life Tables, 2020 report from the National Center for Health Statistics. The average U.S. life expectancy at age 65 dropped to 18.5 years, from 19.6 years. The Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries have warned against taking one-year life expectancy changes at face value: The kind of life expectancy estimate included in the new report assumes that COVID-19 mortality will persist at about 2020 levels for years. But the drop is dramatic, lasted until at least the first quarter of this year, and shows how the current pandemic, and its effects on the economy, U.S. health care system capacity and people's emotions, have had an impact on mortality that in some ways exceeds the impact of the famous 1918 influenza pandemic. If the change persists, it could increase uncertainty about the life expectancy figures used in retirement planning and annuity analysis as well as throwing off the calculations used to determine how much life insurance clients need. The new state life tables report shows that the change in life expectancy at the state level ranged from one-tenth of a year, in Maine, up to 1.9 years, in one state. For a look at the five biggest state losses of years of life expectancy at age 65, see the gallery above. For data on all 50 states, see the table below.

Loss of Years of Life After Age 65, Between 2019 and 2020