A holiday present for everyone – life expectancy

December 9, 2009

What gift did every American get this year? Well, for one thing, everyone now has a longer life expectancy. Of course, it’s not a one size fits all – there are still differences among the races and genders, as shown in the bullets below. Everyone’s life expectancy has increased, however, regardless of where he or she started a year before.

Life expectancy from birth…

  • Everyone – 77.7 years in 2006; 77.9 years in 2007
  • White Female – 80.6 years in 2006; 80.7 years in 2007
  • Black Female – 76.5 years in 2006; 77.0 years in 2007
  • White Male – 75.7 years in 2006; 75.8 years in 2007
  • Black Male – 69.7 years in 2006; 70.2 years in 2007

For more information, visit the life expectancy page at NCHS.


New study examines quality of race and ethnicity data on death certificates

October 1, 2008

A new study has been released that compares race and ethnicity data on death certificates with U.S. Census Bureau information. The result? American Indians and Alaska Natives are poorly reported on death certificates (that is, funeral directors may not be classifying decedents correctly). Reporting is considered good for Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics and excellent for the white and black populations. To read more, click here.