An interactive guide to U.S. life expectancy, survival, and the years remaining at every age. Based on the 2024 federal life tables; released in August 2026.
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01
The headline
Life expectancy in the United States reached 79.0 years in 2024.
That is up 0.6 year from 78.4 in 2023 and 0.2 years above 78.8 in 2019. In between, the number fell for two years in a row, from 78.8 to 76.4, a drop of 2.4 years, before climbing back.
Both sexes, 202479.0yearsExpected years of life at birth
Females81.4years
Males76.5years
Life expectancy at birth, 2019 to 2024. Each point comes from that year life table. Scale note: the vertical axis runs from 74 to 80 years, so it is zoomed in. The dip looks steeper than it would on a zero-based axis.
02
The gap inside the average
14.7 years separate the longest-lived and shortest-lived groups.
Life expectancy at birth in 2024 was 85.8 years for the Asian non-Hispanic population and 71.1 years for the American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic population. The national figure of 79.0 sits in between. The tables measure the size of the gap. They do not explain what causes it.
Highest group85.8yearsAsian, non-Hispanic
Lowest group71.1yearsAmerican Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic
Life expectancy at birth by Hispanic origin and race, 2024. Scale note: every bar starts at zero and runs to 90 years, so lengths are true to scale. The dashed line marks the national figure of 79.0. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Asian, non-Hispanic85.8 years
Hispanic81.8 years
All origins (national average)79.0 years
White, non-Hispanic78.9 years
Black, non-Hispanic74.8 years
American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic71.1 years
0 years90 years
03
Who is still here
Out of 100,000 babies, 84,133 would still be alive at 65.
That is 84.1% of a newborn group, which means 15.9% would not reach 65 if 2024 death rates held for a lifetime. By 85 about 43.8% remain, and 2.1% reach 100.
Alive at 6584.1%Of 100,000 newborns
Alive at 8543.8%
Alive at 1002.1%
Share of newborns still alive at each age, 2024 life table. Scale note: both axes are true to scale and start at zero. The solid cyan line is both sexes. The blue line is females and the dashed line is males.
Both sexes
Females
Males
Reach 65, females88.0%
Reach 65, males80.4%
Reach 65, by group92.9%to65.4%Asian non-Hispanic to American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic
04
The finish line moves
The expected age at death rises with age: 79.0 at birth, 84.7 at 65, 91.7 at 85.
Life expectancy at an age is the average number of years left for people who reach that age. For someone who has reached an older age, the relevant measure is the average years remaining at that age, rather than life expectancy at birth. A 65 year old has 19.7 more years on average, for a total of 84.7. An 85 year old has 6.7 more, for a total of 91.7.
Average years of life remaining, by exact age, 2024. Scale note: the vertical axis starts at zero.
Both sexes
Females
Males
Population average at your age
40
Average years remaining41.0
Average expected age at death81.0
Alive at this age, of 100,000 born96,428
Share who live 10 more years97.2%
Each square is 1% of 100,000 newborns. Filled squares are those still alive at the chosen age under 2024 death rates.
These are population averages from the 2024 United States life table. They describe a large group, not you. They do not use your health, habits, income, family history or location, and they cannot predict how long any one person will live. Ages run from 0 to 100, and the 10 year figure needs age 90 or younger.
05
Women and men
Female life expectancy exceeds male life expectancy by 4.9 years at birth and 1.0 year at 85.
At birth females can expect 81.4 years and males 76.5. The gap was 5.8 years in 2021 and has narrowed to 4.9 in 2024. The gap is smaller at older ages: 2.4 years at 65 and 0.7 year at 90.
Extra years of remaining life for females compared with males, by age, 2024. Scale note: bars start at zero and run to 6 years. Each value is female minus male average years remaining, using the one decimal values in the life tables.
At age 04.9 years
At age 204.7 years
At age 403.9 years
At age 652.4 years
At age 801.3 years
At age 900.7 years
0 years6 years
All six groups
The 2024 life table, side by side
Life expectancy and survival by Hispanic origin and race, United States, 2024. Sorted from highest to lowest life expectancy at birth. Years, except the last two columns, which are percent of 100,000 newborns alive.
Group
Both sexes at birth
Females at birth
Males at birth
Female minus male
Years left at 65
Alive at 65
Alive at 85
Asian, non-Hispanic
85.8
87.7
83.7
4.0
23.7
92.9%
64.7%
Hispanic
81.8
84.3
79.2
5.1
21.8
87.3%
53.2%
All origins
79.0
81.4
76.5
4.9
19.7
84.1%
43.8%
White, non-Hispanic
78.9
81.3
76.7
4.6
19.5
84.1%
43.0%
Black, non-Hispanic
74.8
78.2
71.3
6.9
18.3
76.4%
34.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic
71.1
74.6
67.8
6.8
19.2
65.4%
30.7%
Female minus male is the difference between the one decimal values shown. Race groups are single race, non-Hispanic. Hispanic people may be of any race. NCHS adjusts these tables for misclassification of race and Hispanic origin on death certificates.
Averages are not you
Explore your health inputs.
This story describes the whole population. If you want to look at your own inputs, you can try the LifeMeter biological age calculator. It is a separate tool with its own method and its own limits.
This page does not estimate your lifespan. The life table has no information about any individual.
Source, method and caveats
Source. Arias E, Xu J, Tejada-Vera B. United States Life Tables, 2024. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 75, Number 5. National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Released August 25, 2026. Spreadsheet versions of Tables 1 to 18 are at the NCHS file server. The 2019 to 2023 trend points use Table 1 to 3 of the matching earlier reports: NVSR 70(19), 71(1), 72(12), 74(2) and 74(6).
Method. All numbers on this page were recomputed from those spreadsheets. Life expectancy is the value in the expectation of life column at age 0 or at the stated age. Survival is the number surviving column divided by 100,000 newborns. Expected age at death is the exact age plus the average years remaining. Differences between years, groups or sexes are taken between the one decimal values shown, which is how NCHS reports them. The 10 year survival figure in the explorer is the survivors at age plus 10 divided by the survivors at the chosen age.
Caveats. A period life table applies the death rates of one year, 2024, to a group followed from birth. It is a snapshot, not a forecast, and real people born today will live under future death rates. The values are population averages. Many people live much shorter or longer lives. Group results blend very different people and say nothing about cause. Race and Hispanic origin categories are those used by NCHS, and the tables adjust for misclassification on death certificates. Estimates for ages 100 and over rely on modeling. Earlier years come from separate reports whose population estimates may have been revised.
Not medical advice. This story is for general education only. Population statistics do not predict an individual outcome. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Talk with a qualified clinician about your own health. LifeMeter and its creators are not responsible for decisions or losses arising from reliance on this content. See the full disclaimer.
2024 life-table data, published August 25, 2026. Explorer and demographic values verified against the NCHS spreadsheets on September 30, 2026.