US Life Expectancy Hits Record High of 79 Years in 2024, CDC Says
In a significant boost to public health, the US life expectancy has reached an all-time high of 79 years, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday. The milestone marks a marked turnaround from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had pushed life expectancy to just under 76 1/2 years in 2021.
The latest figures reveal that death rates have declined across all racial and ethnic groups, as well as among men and women, with heart disease remaining the nation's leading cause of death. However, the death rate due to heart disease has dropped by about 3% for the second consecutive year, attributed to advances in medical treatments and weight management.
More notably, deaths from unintentional injuries, which include drug overdoses, plummeted by over 14% in 2024, with COVID-19 falling out of the top 10 as a leading cause of death. Suicide moved into the top 10, but suicides themselves declined, while homicides also fell that year.
The CDC's Robert Anderson attributed the positive trends to a combination of factors, including improved medical treatments and public health measures. "It's pretty much good news all the way around," he said.
While the US still lags behind other countries in terms of life expectancy, preliminary data suggest continued improvement is on the horizon for 2025, with an estimated 3.05 million deaths recorded so far.
"The bad news is that there's a lot more to be done," noted Andrew Stokes, a researcher at Boston University, emphasizing the need for sustained efforts to address ongoing health challenges.
In a significant boost to public health, the US life expectancy has reached an all-time high of 79 years, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday. The milestone marks a marked turnaround from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had pushed life expectancy to just under 76 1/2 years in 2021.
The latest figures reveal that death rates have declined across all racial and ethnic groups, as well as among men and women, with heart disease remaining the nation's leading cause of death. However, the death rate due to heart disease has dropped by about 3% for the second consecutive year, attributed to advances in medical treatments and weight management.
More notably, deaths from unintentional injuries, which include drug overdoses, plummeted by over 14% in 2024, with COVID-19 falling out of the top 10 as a leading cause of death. Suicide moved into the top 10, but suicides themselves declined, while homicides also fell that year.
The CDC's Robert Anderson attributed the positive trends to a combination of factors, including improved medical treatments and public health measures. "It's pretty much good news all the way around," he said.
While the US still lags behind other countries in terms of life expectancy, preliminary data suggest continued improvement is on the horizon for 2025, with an estimated 3.05 million deaths recorded so far.
"The bad news is that there's a lot more to be done," noted Andrew Stokes, a researcher at Boston University, emphasizing the need for sustained efforts to address ongoing health challenges.
i feel like we're finally seeing some progress after covid-19 was really harsh on people's lives 
but still gotta acknowledge that there are a lot of health issues left to tackle, especially with heart disease being a major problem 
hopefully the trends keep going up and not just down in 2025 
Life expectancy in US is on a roll 
79 years is insane! 
I'm loving that heart disease deaths are down 
and accidental injuries too 
This is super good news 
for everyone's health 
Andrew Stokes said it right 
We gotta keep pushing for better health stats 
And that 3.05 million deaths in 2025? Not bad 
at all! 
! 79 years is just incredible - it's like our collective effort to prioritize self-care and living healthy lives is finally paying off 
! I'm so glad to hear that heart disease rates are declining, but also super bummed that there's still work to be done 
. But honestly, any step forward is a win in my book 
I'm not surprised, but still super stoked to hear US life expectancy hit 79 years! Reminds me of when I was growing up and my grandpa would say we're living longer, so that's gotta be good, right? 
Anyway, it's like the pandemic finally took its toll on us, and now things are looking up. I'm all about those medical advancements, too - weight management, etc... 
And it's awesome to see deaths from unintentional injuries and even suicides going down! 
thats like literally insane considering covid19 was still affecting ppl in 2021 
anyway its awesome that heart disease deaths are declining thanks to better meds and weight management 
maybe we can even rival countries like japan or singapore soon 
. But at the same time, we gotta keep pushing for more improvements because, as Andrew Stokes said, there’s still so much work to be done 
.
. Life expectancy has indeed seen some positive changes, especially with heart disease rates dropping and unintentional injuries seeing a significant decline 
. and finally some good news on suicides and homicides too 
. also cool that deaths from accidents & drug overdoses have plummeted! 14% drop is HUGE lol. hope this means us will catch up with other countries soon...
, but i guess its a good sign that death rates are declining across the board? heard heart disease is still #1 cause of death tho 
and the fact that suicides and homicides have gone down is like... wow! what a relief