By the numbers: NC life expectancy dipped from 2020 to 2021 more than in U.S. overall

North Carolina’s average life expectancy declined by more than a year from 76.1 to 74.9 from 2020 to 2021, according to new Centers for Disease Control data for all 50 states.

The rate dropped nationally, too, but at half the rate NC did: from 77 to 76.4. All but 11 states saw their averages decline.

In 2000, the CDC’s average life expectancy in NC was 76.3, 1.4 years higher than 2021 and more comparable to 2020.

Based on this new data, the CDC now ranks North Carolina 36th in the country in life expectancy, with the state dropping one spot from 35th in 2020.

In 2023, the agency released a report that did not include state data but put the national average life expectancy at 77.5 , up 1.1 years from 2021.

Why the recent decline in life expectancy?

Many factors contribute.

One is an increase in accidental and unintentional deaths and deaths from COVID-19, according to the NC Department of Health Human Services.

Average life span calculations are especially sensitive to factors that cause deaths in younger populations.

North Carolina has seen a significant increase in overdose deaths in recent years, especially since COVID-19. From 2018 to 2022 there was an 89% increase in overdose deaths, from 2,301 to 4,339. The rate per 100,000 residents also very nearly doubled from 22.2 to 44.1.

And opioid overdose deaths mainly occur among younger people, and have contributed to a decline in life expectancy, according to DHHS.

In 2022, the CDC reports that three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths in the country were under the age of 55. Seven out of ten who died were male.

Other factors contributing to a state’s average life expectancy and health outcomes include: demographics such as race and ethnicity; the prevalence of pre-existing health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes; socioeconomic status including household income; and a person’s home and work environments, which can differ in rural, urban or suburban settings, according to DHHS.

Also in play are factors such as access and the use of health care, said John Wallace, Senior Data Adviser at the North Carolina Institute of Public Health, citing a report from Harvard School of Public Heath .

Males versus females

No surprises there. Women still outlive men .

Nationally and in North Carolina, the gap is about six years and it increased each year from 2019 to 2021, according to the CDC.

The life expectancy for males in the state is 72, for females, 77.9, according to this CDC report . Nationally, for males it’s 73.5, females, 79.3.

That said, the difference in life expectancy for males and females is not as great as it has been at times in the past.

In 1980 in North Carolina, the gap was 8.8 years. It dropped about a year in 1990 to 7.7 and continued to decline to 6.5 years in 2000.

Will this life span decline continue?

Experts say they don’t know for sure.

DHHS staff caution that life expectancy is a statistical measure, and is based on the ages at which people are dying now.

To determine which factors have the largest impact in North Carolina, especially compared to the US, requires more comprehensive research and analysis.

The NC State Center for Health Statistics, which calculates life expectancy averages for the state using slightly different methodology than the CDC, reports that the average was 76.2 in 2022, about a year higher than its calculated average of 75.1 in 2021, which is close to CDC’s average of 74.9.

“This may be an indication of shifting back toward pre-pandemic numbers, but considering the complexity of the factors, we will have to wait and see,” DHHS spokesperson Hannah Jones said in a written email response.

They expect to publish more details soon, such as rates by county, gender and race, to their website .

Learn more about life expectancy in the United States from the CDC.