CDC Life Tables Show U.S. Life Expectancy Reached 79 in 2024

The National Center for Health Statistics released new life tables on August 25, 2026, showing that U.S. life expectancy at birth rose to 79.0 years in 2024 from 78.4 years in 2023. The report, United States Life Tables, 2024, also shows that the national improvement did not erase wide differences among demographic groups.

The figures are the latest official national snapshot of longevity. They provide context for public-health planning, aging services, caregiving, retirement decisions and programs that support older adults. They are not a prediction of how long any particular person will live.

Life expectancy increased for men and women

Male life expectancy at birth rose from 75.8 years in 2023 to 76.5 years in 2024. Female life expectancy increased from 81.1 years to 81.4 years.

Women therefore continued to have higher life expectancy than men overall. The year-over-year improvement also varied across the demographic groups covered by the report rather than following one identical pattern for the entire population.

Large demographic differences remain

The 2024 estimates at birth were 81.8 years for the Hispanic population, 71.1 years for the non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native population, 85.8 years for the non-Hispanic Asian population, 74.8 years for the non-Hispanic Black population and 78.9 years for the non-Hispanic White population.

That is a 14.7-year difference between the highest and lowest listed estimates. The report describes mortality and survival patterns; it does not, by itself, identify the causes of those differences.

From 2023 to 2024, life expectancy increased by 1.0 year for the non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native population, 0.8 year for the non-Hispanic Black population, 0.6 year for the non-Hispanic Asian population, and 0.5 year for both the Hispanic and non-Hispanic White populations. Those gains show improvement, but they do not mean that longstanding disparities have been resolved.

How to read the new tables

These are period life tables. The 79.0-year figure describes a hypothetical cohort exposed throughout its life to the age-specific death rates recorded in 2024. It is not a cohort forecast for people born in 2024 and is not an individual guarantee.

The tables use final 2024 mortality data and July 1, 2024, population estimates. For some older-age calculations, NCHS also used 2024 Medicare data. Statistical modeling was used for groups without reliable Medicare data for those estimates.

NCHS adjusted race and ethnicity estimates for misclassification on death certificates. Comparisons with older years require caution because reporting standards changed, including a shift from bridged-race to single-race categories. Hispanic origin may include people of any race, while the listed non-Hispanic categories are race-specific.

What the numbers mean for households

A higher national life-expectancy estimate can contribute to continued demand for caregiving, long-term health planning, accessible housing and services for older adults. Unequal outcomes also matter for workforce planning and public programs because communities may face different needs and risks.

For individuals, the tables provide population context rather than personal medical or financial advice. Retirement timing, insurance, caregiving and health decisions require information about a person’s own circumstances.

The next key question will be whether the improvement continues in finalized 2025 mortality data and whether the gaps among demographic groups narrow, persist or change.

Sources

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