
All people in North Carolina have long and healthy lives. and 9 more...

Life Expectancy (Total) in NC - Three-Year Rolling: Avg. # of years of life remaining for people who have attained a given age
Current Value
76.0
Definition
Story Behind the Curve
North Carolina total life expectancy data - based on 3-year averages. Do not compare overlapping years.
Between 2016 and 2019, life expectancy (total) for North Carolina remained steady at just over 78 years.
Between 2019 and 2022, life expectancy dropped by over two years (from 78.1 to 75.9) and remained fairly level (at 76.0) in 2023. Potential contributors to this recent, retained drop include the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in drug overdose deaths.
Indicator Notes
Definition:
Life Expectancy at Birth.
Life Expectancy (LE) is the average number of additional years that someone at a given age would be expected to live if current mortality conditions remained constant throughout their lifetime.
Life Expectancy figures for total NC population and disaggregated by gender are available annually and based on 3-year rolling averages.
County level disaggregated data (by race/ethnicity) are available for 3-year rolling averages.
Why is this Important?
Life Expectancy is a key health indicator and serves as a proxy measure for the total health of a population. [CDC, HNC2030]
Additional Information:
County level disaggregated data (by race/ethnicity) are available for 3-year rolling averages
Links and References: