One of the great things about retirement is that you may finally feel like you have greater control of your life.
Without a job tying you down, you can choose where to live, how much money to have and whether to trim retirement costs.
The one aspect of retirement that is truly out of your control? How long you will have to enjoy your golden years.
No one can completely dictate their health and lifespan, as much as we might wish we had that kind of power. Of course, we can eat healthful foods and exercise, and that can make a real difference.
For example, one study found that exercising two to four times beyond the recommended moderate amount of physical activity (such as walking and lower-intensity exercise) — which is 150 to 300 minutes each week — can lower all-cause mortality by 26% to 31%.
But no matter how much you exercise or how well you eat, your precise lifespan ultimately remains an element of the unknown.
Still, there is no denying that certain states have a much higher average life expectancy than others. Studies have shown that differences in health care, pollution, weather and other regional factors are all important for longevity.
In the U.S., life expectancy after age 65 is 19.5 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means Americans who reach age 65 will live to age 84.5, on average.
The latest annual National Vital Statistics Report, issued by the federal government, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia according to life expectancy after age 65.
Here are the states where life expectancy is longest after age 65:
- Hawaii: 20.5 years after age 65
- Connecticut: 19.8
- New York: 19.8
- Massachusetts: 19.7
- California: 19.7
- Minnesota: 19.6
- New Jersey: 19.6
- North Dakota: 19.5
- Vermont: 19.5
- South Dakota: 19.4
- Colorado: 19.4
- Rhode Island: 19.4
- Florida: 19.4
Other states do not fare nearly as well in the longevity sweepstakes. Here are the states where lifespans are shortest after age 65.
- West Virginia: 16.6 years after age 65
- Mississippi: 16.7
- Kentucky: 16.8
- Oklahoma: 16.8
- Arkansas: 17
- Alabama: 17.1
- Tennessee: 17.2
- Louisiana: 17.5
- Indiana: 17.7
- Missouri: 17.8
- Ohio: 17.8
The good news is that between 2021 and 2022, life expectancy at birth rose in 48 states and the District of Columbia. States in the South primarily saw the greatest increase, with a few states in the West also seeing larger gains.
Just two states — Maine and Vermont — saw life expectancy decline, with both places recording a dip of 0.1 year.
See which U.S. cities rank best for retirees in “10 Places Where Retirees Enjoy the Best Quality of Life in America (None Are in Florida).”
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