Debate all you want about quality of life in Connecticut, but duration of life in the state is indisputable. Connecticut has the fifth-highest life expectancy in the United States, according to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Connecticut residents can expect to live an average of 80.4 years, with females at 82.9 and males at 77.9. The findings, published earlier this year in the National Vital Statistics Reports, reviewed 2018 population estimates, state-level mortality and each state’s death and population figures that year for older Medicare beneficiaries. Nationally, Americans can anticipate living an average 78.7 years, with women outliving men by five years.
Top 10: Longest Life Expectancies
- 1. Hawaii: 81.
- 2. California: 80.8.
- 3. New York: 80.5
- 4. Minnesota: 80.5
- 5. Connecticut: 80.4.
- 6. Massachusetts: 80.1
- 7. Washington: 80.
- 8. Colorado: 80.
- 9. New Jersey: 79.8.
- 10. Rhode Island: 79.8
Southern states dominated the Bottom 10, with a life expectancy of 74.4 years.
Bottom 10: Shortest Life Expectancies
- 42. Missouri: 76.6.
- 43. South Carolina: 76.5.
- 44. Arkansas: 75.6.
- 45. Oklahoma: 75.6.
- 46. Louisiana: 75.6.
- 47. Tennessee: 75.5.
- 48. Kentucky: 75.3.
- 49. Alabama: 75.1.
- 50. Mississippi: 74.6.
- 51. West Virginia: 74.4.
West Virginia had the lowest life expectancy for both women (77.3) and men (71.7).
What does it take to live a good, long life? Ask your primary care physician or, for a quick glimpse, consult a reputable online life expectancy calculator. You’ll find questions about some things, like family medical history, you can’t control. But longevity depends greatly on your own lifestyle, whether it’s what you eat, your blood pressure and cholesterol levels or alcohol and drug use. Even brushing your teeth daily can make a difference.
“Making a lifelong goal will help turn the activity into a habit,” says Dr. Devika Umashanker, a Hartford HealthCare Obesity Medicine Specialist. “If it’s important, you’ll have the motivation to continue. For example, making healthier food choices and exercising to decrease your weight for the upcoming wedding, vacation or social gathering will work up to that date. Once the event passes, old habits will return.”
Regular exercise is a great way to add years to your life.
“Exercise is the best bargain in public health,” says Dr. Paul Thompson, chief emeritus of cardiology at Hartford Hospital.
Another report, by World Life Expectancy, listed life expectancy at birth for each Connecticut county using data from the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the CIA, specific country databases and information from the CDC and other state and federal agencies.
Connecticut Counties, Female Life Expectancies
- Fairfield: 83.54.
- Tolland: 83.31.
- Middlesex: 83.
- Litchfield: 82.69.
- New Haven: 82.15.
- Hartford: 82.14.
- New London: 82.12.
- Windham: 81.14.
Connecticut Counties, Male Life Expectancies
- Tolland : 79.9
- Fairfield: 79.98
- Middlesex: 78.95
- Litchfield: 78.73
- New London: 78.22
- Hartford: 77.84
- New Haven: 77.31
- Windham: 76.82
Need a primary care physician? Visit the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group here.