Health and Safety - Life Expectancy

In the early twenty-first century America's young people could look forward to living longer than the generations before them had. The average life expectancy for both sexes of all races born in 2001 was 77.2 years, although individual expectations varied considerably according to race and gender. (See Table 5.1.) Average life expectancy for white males born in 2001 was seventy-five years, up from 66.5 in 1950. The average life expectancy for African-American males born in 2001 was 68.6 years, up from 59.1 in 1950. Average life expectancy for white females born in 2001 was 80.2 years, up from 72.2 in 1950, while the average life expectancy for African-American females born in 2001 was 75.5 years, up from 62.9 in 1950.

While the life expectancy for whites and African-Americans differs at birth, statistics show that the gap narrows with age. (See Figure 5.1.) By age sixty-five there is a difference of approximately two years between life expectancies of whites and African-Americans. By age seventy-five there is almost no difference. This may be because African-Americans have a higher rate of deaths from accidents or injuries in their younger years. Women of both races have a slightly longer life expectancy than men do.