Gains driven by lower COVID mortality and improvements in cardiovascular care, though disparities remain.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that U.S. life expectancy increased by 1.2 years in 2024, reaching 78.6 years—the first rise since the pandemic began. The rebound reflects steep declines in COVID-19 deaths, improved access to preventive screenings, and advances in heart-failure management.
Women continue to outlive men by roughly six years, but the gender gap is narrowing. The troubling exception remains maternal mortality, which, while down 7%, still exceeds peer nations. Geographic inequities persist: Southern states lag the national average by more than four years.
Public health experts attribute the improvement to expanded Medicaid coverage in several states and aggressive outreach around hypertension and obesity. The CDC cautions that maintaining gains will require addressing lifestyle factors and chronic-disease management—particularly among working-age adults, whose mortality rates have plateaued.