Texans Aren't Living As Long As They Used To

Texas saw one of the nation's steepest drops in life expectancy in 2020.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Texas' life expectancy fell 2.1 years from 78.6 in 2019 to 76.5 in 2020. Texas' life expectancy fell below the national average, which dropped 1.8 years from 78.8 to 77 years.

Although the state's life expectancy is lower than the national average, it wasn't quite among the lowest in the country. The state ranked number 39, having a longer life expectancy than 12 other states and falling just below the District of Columbia.

Nine states across the nation saw a drop in life expectancy of at least 2.1 to 3 years, which was the largest margin calculated. Those states include Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

You can see the full report about each state's life expectancy on the CDC's website.