How Long Will You Live?
Question: Are people today still living longer?
A: Yes. A person born in 2000 can expect to live 76.9 years, which is a record high. These figures are part of a new report from the Centers for Disease Control. Longevity varies by age, gender, and race. Women generally live longer than men, but today the difference between male and female life expectancy at birth has narrowed to just over five years: the average male will live to be 74, the average female 79. The average white male will live to be almost 75, while the average black male will live to 68. The average white female will live to be 80, the average black female will live to be 75.
A white man turning 65 in the year 2000, can expect to live another 18 years, and a black man another 16 years. A 75-year-old white woman can expect to live another 12 years, a black woman another 11 years. A black man turning 50 could expect to live another 24 years, a white man another 28 years. No race or gender grouping had decreasing life expectancy levels in 2000 compared to the previous year.
On the flip side of longevity are death rates. In the United States as a whole, there were 2.4 million deaths in 2000. 75% of those dying were age 65 and over, or 1.8 million seniors. The biggest killer was heart disease, accounting for 33% of all elderly deaths. The number two cause of death was cancer (22%), number three was strokes (8%), and number four was chronic lower respiratory disease (6%). Flu, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and car accidents altogether only accounted for 12% of deaths among the elderly.
Close to 48,500 people died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2000, but for every one Alzheimer’s death there were more than 12 people who died of heart disease. Seniors had the second highest rate of death by auto accidents (second to people 15-24 years old), but for every one elder who died in a car crash, 55 died from cancer. Strokes claimed the lives of 146,725 seniors, compared to 42,290 breast cancer deaths.
71% of all cancer deaths occurred in people age 65 and over. The most prevalent forms of cancer deaths were lung cancer, lymphoma and leukemia, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Among cancers, cigarettes are still responsible: 28% of all cancer deaths are from lung cancer. Homicides were less than ˝ of 1% of all deaths (16,137).
Massachusetts is a relatively healthy state in which to live, with a death rate nearly 7% below the U.S. average—second lowest in New England, behind Connecticut. The highest death rate in America was in Mississippi. The top ten "death states" are all in the south.
For a copy of the 2000 Life Expectancy table, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Mass Home Care, 24 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803.