Michigan’s Life Expectancy is Dropping. But Why?

Since the early 1900s, Michigan's life expectancy has increased for males and females. For some reason, Michigan's residents are passing away at a slightly younger age.

See Also: Hey MI, Never Run This Appliance When You're Not at Home

Michigan joins every state throughout the U.S. that experienced a decline in life expectancy rates from 2019 to 2021.

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It's hard to believe, but in 1901, the average life expectancy of a man living in the United States was only 47 years old. Women tended to live a little longer, with an average life expectancy of 50 years.

In Michigan, residents lived to be a bit older in 1901. The average life expectancy for a man in Michigan was 53 years, and for women, it was 55 years.

What is Michigan's Life Expectancy Now?

For over a decade (2008-2019), the average life expectancy of females in Michigan was 80 years old, and for men, it was 75 years old.

As of 2021, the average life expectancy was 78 years for females and 72 years for males in Michigan

The average life expectancy for females in the United States is 74 years old. While for men, it's 77 years old.

Data for 2022 and 2023 have not been released yet.

Why is Michigan's Life Expectancy Dropping?

I'm sure it won't come as a shock to you that, according to the CDC, the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on average life expectancy.

Although heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Michigan, cancer follows closely at the second position, with COVID-19 ranking third. Regrettably, this pattern is consistent across much of the United States.