DataPoint: Life Expectancy Trends

After decades of life expectancy increases, New York State saw declines for the first time in 2015 and 2016. The state’s life expectancy peaked in 2014 at 80.7 years, while national life expectancy peaked at 78.9 years in 2013. New York State’s life expectancy decreased to 80.5 years in 2016. The number of deaths per 100,000 increased by 6.4 percent from 2010 to 2016. During that period, Alzheimer’s-related deaths increased by 14 percent. Additionally, life expectancy in New York State is trending downward partly due to increased obesity. From 2010 to 2016, deaths related to obesity increased for the first time in decades, and they have nearly tripled since 1990. The sudden decline in New York State life expectancy may also be due to increased deaths of despair (alcohol use, drug use, or self-harm), which accounted for 2.7 percent of all deaths in 2016.

For more New York State life expectancy charts and statistics from the New York State Health Foundation, click here.

Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820