State-Level Trends in Lifespan Variability in the United States, 1960–2019: A Research Note
Abstract
State-level disparities in life expec tancy are wide, per sis tent, and poten tially grow ing in the United States. However, the extent to which differences in lifespan var i abil ity by state have changed over time is unclear. This research note describes trends in lifespan var i abil ity for the United States overall and by state from 1960 to 2019 using period life table data from the United States Mortality Database. Lifespan disparity at birth (e0†) decreased over time in the United States overall from 14.0 years in 1960–1964 to 12.2 in 2015–2019. Lifespan variability decreased in all states, but states differed in the level and pace with which these changes occurred. Southern states and the District of Columbia exhibited con-sis tently higher (i.e., less equitable) levels of lifespan variability than the nation over-all. Conversely, lifespan variability was lower among several states in the Northeast (e.g., Connecticut and Mas sachusetts), Upper Midwest (e.g., Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), and West (e.g., California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington). We observe a particularly worrisome trend of increasing lifespan variability for the United States over all and for most states from 2010–2014 to 2015–2019. Monitoring state-level trends in lifespan variability has the potential to inform policies designed to ameliorate population health disparities.
Publication Title
Demography
Recommended Citation
Brown, D., Lariscy, J., & Walker, B. (2023). State-Level Trends in Lifespan Variability in the United States, 1960–2019: A Research Note. Demography, 60 (1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-10423884
