Washingtonians live longer than the average American
Dec 9, 2018, 8:51 AM
The life expectancy in Washington state is 79.9 years, according to the latest CDC report. (Photo by John Westrock on Unsplash)
(Photo by John Westrock on Unsplash)
The average Washington state resident lives to be about 79.9 years old, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s just over a year longer than the average American at 78.6 years.
The National Geographic broke down the numbers in a state ranking system, which shows Washington state tied with Colorado, Massachusetts, and Vermont, according to 2017 stats. The state with the longest life expectancy? Hawaii at 81.5 years. The average life span in Mississippi is 74.5 years, placing it at the bottom of the list.
Not only did National Geographic rank the states, it compared the states side by side with other countries. People of Taiwan have the same life expectancy as Washington residents. Topping the list, alongside Hawaii, is the Netherlands. At the bottom, with Mississippi, is Vietnam.
Overall, the United States — at 78.6 years — falls between Nicaragua at 78.8 years and Croatia at 78.5 years.
In the same report released in November, the CDC reported that the U.S. life expectancy has declined in the past few years. Robert R. Redfield, M.D., CDC Director, said the dip is attributed mostly to deaths from drug overdose and suicide.
“Life expectancy gives us a snapshot of the nation’s overall health and these sobering statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable,” Redfield said.
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