How do state-level male life expectancies in 2025 compare across the United States?
Executive summary
Male life expectancy in the United States has rebounded from pandemic-era lows but remains uneven across states: national male life expectancy hovered around 75.8 years in the most recent CDC reporting, while state-level differences still measure several years between the longest- and shortest-lived male populations, concentrated largely by region and by socioeconomic factors [1] [2]. Robust state-by-state rankings (drawing on CDC state life tables and compilations) consistently place Pacific and Northeastern states near the top and many Southern and some inland states near the bottom, a pattern confirmed by long-term cohort research [3] [4].
1. Where the averages stand: the national baseline and recent recovery
The CDC’s FastStats lists male life expectancy at about 75.8 years in the latest national tables, reflecting recovery from the COVID-19 mortality spike and modest improvements through 2023–2024 reporting windows [1]. Independent trackers and analyses corroborate a national rebound—U.S. life expectancy rose in 2023 toward pre‑pandemic levels—yet men still trail women by multiple years on average, a persistent gender gap highlighted in cross‑national comparisons [5] [1].
2. The geography of longevity: which states lead and which lag
Aggregated state lists and demographic compilations place states such as Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and parts of the Northeast and West among the highest life expectancies, while Mississippi and several Southern states sit at the low end of the spectrum; state rankings for 2021–2023 data show these geographic patterns for both sexes and for men specifically [3] [2]. WorldPopulationReview’s state rankings for 2021 indicate Hawaii and Northeastern states occupying the top spots and Mississippi the lowest, and broader datasets and reporting echo that same regional gradient [3] [2].
3. How big is the gap between states for men?
Multiple sources calculate state-to-state spreads of several years for male life expectancy—commonly in the range of about 3–7 years between the best- and worst-performing states, with some analyses noting differences up to roughly seven years for males when comparing Hawaii and Mississippi in earlier datasets [6] [2]. Academic cohort research from Yale and collaborators finds that for men born after 1950, gains in life expectancy essentially plateaued in many Southern states, helping to explain persistent inter-state divergences that have accumulated over decades [4].
4. Forces driving state differences
The documented state disparities arise from long-term patterns in health care access, socioeconomic status, education, prevalence of chronic disease, and public health responses—factors repeatedly cited in state and national life-expectancy analyses [3] [2]. Pandemic mortality exaggerated preexisting vulnerabilities in some regions, and recovery has been uneven; analyses of 2019–2023 trends show the U.S. overall rebounding but still trailing peer nations and with a gender gap that remains larger than in many comparable countries [5] [1].
5. Limits of available reporting and what cannot be concluded confidently
Available sources provide strong evidence of regional patterns and national recovery but rely on different vintages and methodologies: CDC state life tables (latest public tables referenced by FastStats) are authoritative for national and state estimates, while compilations like WorldPopulationReview and other aggregates use those and earlier years to create rankings [1] [3]. There is not a single, uniformly labeled “2025 state male life expectancy” dataset in the provided reporting; therefore, precise 2025 state-by-state male figures should be drawn from the CDC’s U.S. state life tables or equivalent official releases when they are published [1] [3]. Longitudinal studies (Yale) make clear the persistence of regional divergence over decades even when year-to-year national averages fluctuate [4].
6. What this means for policy and public health
The multi‑year, multi‑state divergence in male life expectancy underscores that national recovery in averages masks entrenched local disparities; targeted investments in chronic disease prevention, substance‑use treatment, and access to care in lower-performing states are the logical policy levers implied by the literature and state rankings [4] [3]. Observers should treat headline national gains as necessary but insufficient progress until state-level gaps—often linked to socioeconomic inequities—narrow measurably in official state life tables [1] [2].