Race and Life Expectancy in all 50 States

Three women in a row, one hispanic, one white and one black.
In the US, whites live longer than African Americans, but not all states are equal. Where does yours rank? (Image credit: Kelly Young, Shutterstock)

In the United States, whites outlive blacks, but this varies by state, according to new research.

The researchers looked at death certificate data from 1997 through 2004, covering more than 17 million people from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The researchers noted race/ethnicity, sex, the age at death and the state where each subject was born, lived and died.

[Read full story on race and life expectancy]

For both men and women, the racial disparity in lifeexpectancy was the smallest in New Mexico (a gap of 3.76 years between white and black men, and 2.45 years for women) and largest for D.C. (13.77 years for men 8.55 years for women).

Find your state's stats below.

  • Alabakma — White males 72.66 / black males 66.66 / white females 78.49 / black females 74.60
  • Alaska — White males 76.23 / black males 79.31 / white females 80.46 / black females 79.35
  • Arizona — White males 75.34 / black males 69.74 / white females 80.56 / black females 74.66
  • Arkansas — White males 73.07 / black males 67.11 / white females 78.86 / black females 74.81
  • California — White males 75.02 / black males 68.08 / white females 79.68 / black females 74.29
  • Colorado — White males 75.90 / black males 70.67 / white females 80.12 / black females 74.60
  • Connecticut — White males 76.60 / black males 69.66 / white females 81.27 / black females 76.66
  • Delaware — White males 75.57 / black males 69.22 / white females 80.16 / black females 75.72
  • District of Columbia — White males 78.65 / black males 64.88 / white females 83.94 / black females 75.39
  • Florida — White males 75.19 / black males 67.77 / white females 80.93 / black females 74.01
  • Georgia — White males 73.53 / black males 67.43 / white females 78.69 / black females 74.42
  • Hawaii — White males 76.31 / black males 82.53 / white females 81.40 / black females 82.55
  • Idaho — White males 76.06 / black males 77.53 / white females 80.33 / black females 89.12
  • Illinois — White males 75.31 / black males 66.50 / white females 80.34 / black females 74.25
  • Indiana — White males 73.99 / black males 66.80 / white females 79.00 / black females 74.32
  • Iowa — White males 76.10 / black males 69.66 / white females 81.31 / black females 74.77
  • Kansas — White males 75.59 / black males 68.10 / white females 80.57 / black females 74.43
  • Kentucky — White males 72.66 / black males 68.29 / white females 78.32 / black females 74.50
  • Louisiana — White males 72.71 / black males 65.62 / white females 78.37 / black females 73.34
  • Maine — White males 75.21 / black males 78.47 / white females 80.00 / black females 85.14
  • Maryland — White males 75.57 / black males 68.69 / white females 80.08 / black females 75.94
  • Massachusetts — White males 75.68 / black males 69.29 / white females 80.57 / black females 75.68
  • Michigan — White males 74.91 / black males 66.32 / white females 79.71 / black females 73.50
  • Minnesota — White males 76.86 / black males 70.13 / white females 81.61 / black females 75.08
  • Mississippi — White males 72.72 / black males 66.71 / white females 78.94 / black females 73.87
  • Missouri — White males 73.88 / black males 65.88 / white females 79.12 / black females 73.78
  • Montana — White males 75.52 / black males 80.30 / white females 80.25 / black females 86.42
  • Nebraska — White males 75.84 / black males 67.63 / white females 80.87 / black females 73.69
  • Nevada — White males 73.05 / black males 68.33 / white females 77.83/ black females 73.55
  • New Hampshire — White males 76.97 / black males 85.56 / white females 81.19 / black females 88.02
  • New Jersey — White males 76.06 / black males 67.89 / white females 80.71 / black females 74.49
  • New Mexico — White males 76.06 / black males 72.29 / white females 80.67 / black females 78.22
  • New York — White males 76.24 / black males 70.92 / white females 81.02 / black females 77.60
  • North Carolina — White males 73.93 / black males 67.16 / white females 79.32 / black females 74.55
  • North Dakota — White males 76.98 / black males 89.97 / white females 82.42 / black females 78.44
  • Ohio — White males 74.28 / black males 67.55 / white females 79.21 / black females 74.30
  • Oklahoma — White males 72.63 / black males 67.53 / white females 78.02 / black females 73.05
  • Oregon — White males 75.11 / black males 68.59 / white females 79.56 / black females 75.11
  • Pennsylvania — White males 74.73 / black males 65.96 / white females 79.97 / black females 74.00
  • Rhode Island — White males 75.69 / black males 68.51 / white females 80.78 / black females 74.67
  • South Carolina — White males 73.76 / black males 66.95 / white females 79.35 / black females 74.83
  • South Dakota — White males 76.32 / black males 83.37 / white females 81.82 / black females 80.06
  • Tennessee — White males 72.51 / black males 65.82 / white females 78.28 / black females 73.00
  • Texas — White males 73.88 / black males 67.84 / white females 78.97 / black females 74.08
  • Utah — White males 75.59 / black males 71.70 / white females 79.65 / black females 76.83
  • Vermont — White males 76.72 / black males 84.11 / white females 81.19 / black females 84.71
  • Virginia — White males 75.45 / black males 68.88 / white females 80.10 / black females 75.36
  • Washington — White males 75.68 / black males 70.52 / white females 80.05 / black females 75.37
  • West Virginia — White males 73.04 / black males 68.62 / white females 78.50 / black females 75.38
  • Wisconsin — White males 75.75 / black males 67.31 / white females 80.80/ black females 74.31
  • Wyoming — White males 76.09 / black males 82.44 / white females 80.34 / black females 84.50

The study was published in the February 2012 issue of the journal Health Services Research.

You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

Jennifer Welsh

Jennifer Welsh is a Connecticut-based science writer and editor and a regular contributor to Live Science. She also has several years of bench work in cancer research and anti-viral drug discovery under her belt. She has previously written for Science News, VerywellHealth, The Scientist, Discover Magazine, WIRED Science, and Business Insider.