Population 

Division

Variations in State Mortality From 1960 to 1990 

by 

Monique Oosse

Working Paper No. 49

September 2003 

This paper reports the results of research and analysis undertaken by the U.S. Census Bureau 

staff. It has undergone a Census Bureau review more limited in scope than that given to official 

Census Bureau publications. This report is released to inform interested parties of ongoing 

research and to encourage discussion of work in progress. 
Variations in State Mortality From 1960 to 1990 

Abstract 

In order to evaluate a fundamental assumption in state population projections for the 

United States, this paper assesses trends in mortality levels as indicated by changes in state life 

expectancy at birth and at age 65 from 1960 to 1990. The most recent state population 

projections assume that existing differences between state mortality levels will continue through 

the projection period. Inter-quartile ranges, coefficients of variation, and the Dispersion Index 

were calculated from National Center for Health Statistics life table data to determine whether 

state life expectancies became more or less similar to each other over the four time periods. 

There is some evidence of converging life expectancies from 1960 to 1980, but the trend appears 

to have reversed by 1990 when most of the indicators of variation in state mortality returned to 

the 1960 levels. Though there is little evidence of systematic convergence or divergence for the 

nation from 1960 to 1990, some general regional trends are identified. Given the number of 

exceptions to the patterns of mortality changes in every region, inconsistencies in the national 

trends, and the limited data for races other than White, this evaluation concludes that the 

assumption currently used for state population projections is the most appropriate assumption. 

2
Table of Contents 

I. Introduction ...............................................................................................................................5 

II. Background ..............................................................................................................................6 

III. Data.........................................................................................................................................9 

IV. Methods................................................................................................................................14 

V. Results....................................................................................................................................16 

A. Variation in White Life Expectancy ..................................................................................16 

B. Variation in Nonwhite Life Expectancy ............................................................................17 

C. State Rankings of White Life Expectancy .........................................................................18 

D. State Rankings of Nonwhite Life Expectancy ...................................................................22 

E. Linear Regression Estimates for State Life Expectancies..................................................26 

F. Variation in Life Expectancy by Regions...........................................................................29 

VI. Summary and Conclusions...................................................................................................32 

References....................................................................................................................................36 

Figures 

Figure 1. Life Expectancy by Age for the District of Columbia and Hawaii: 

1989-1991............................................................................................40 

Figure 2. State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Males in the Midwest Region: 

1960 to 1990.........................................................................................54 

Figure 3. State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Females in the South Central 

Division: 1960 to 1990............................................................................55 

Figure 4. State Life Expectancy at Birth for Nonwhite Females in the South Central 

Division: 1960 to 1990............................................................................57 

Figure 5. State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for Nonwhite Females in the South Atlantic 

Division: 1960 to 1990............................................................................58 

Tables 

Table 1. Measures of Variation in State Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 for 

White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990.......................................................41 

Table 2. Measures of Variation in State Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 for 

Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990...................................................42 

Table 3. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Males: 1960 to 

1990...................................................................................................43 

Table 4. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Females: 1960 to 

1990...................................................................................................44 

Table 5. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for Nonwhite Males and 

Females: 1960 to 1990..............................................................................45 

Table 6. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Males: 1960 to 

1990...................................................................................................46 

Table 7. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Females: 1960 to 

1990...................................................................................................47 

3
Table 8. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for Nonwhite Males and 

Females: 1960 to 1990.............................................................................48 

Table 9. Slope Estimates for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at 

Birth by States for White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990................................49 

Table 10. Slope Estimates for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at 

Age 65 by States for White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990..............................50 

Table 11. Slope Estimates for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at 

Birth by States for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990............................51 

Table 12. Slope Estimates for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at 

Age 65 by States for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990.........................52 

Table 13. Coefficients of Variation in Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 within 

Census Regions or Divisions for White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990...............53 

Table 14. Coefficients of Variation in Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 within 

Census Regions or Divisions for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990...........56 

Appendix A 

Appendix A-1. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1959-1961.............................59 

Appendix A-2. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1969-1971.............................60 

Appendix A-3. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1979-1981.............................61 

Appendix A-4. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1989-1991.............................62 

Appendix A-5. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1959-1961...........................63 

Appendix A-6. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1969-1971...........................64 

Appendix A-7. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1979-1981...........................65 

Appendix A-8. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1989-1991...........................66 

Population Division Working Paper Series............................................................67 

4
I. Introduction 

The U.S. Census Bureau periodically produces state population projections for the 50 

states and Washington, DC. The most recent projections released in 1996 used a cohortcomponent method to project the state populations by adding future births, subtracting future 

deaths, and adding future net movement between states and to or from other countries. These 

components were projected by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin for each state. The projections 

based future births, deaths, and domestic and international migration on various historical and 

national trends and assumptions (see Campbell 1996 and Campbell 1997). 

This paper evaluates the assumption used in this projection that the current differences 

between state mortality levels by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin would remain constant over 

the projection period. This assumption had a substantial impact on projected mortality trends by 

states, but historical trends have not been examined in detail to determine if the assumption is 

justified. In fact, there is some evidence that mortality trends may converge toward national 

averages. 

To evaluate the accuracy of the mortality assumption for U.S. state population 

projections, this research assesses how the relative mortality levels of states1

 changed from 1960 

to 1990. Section II presents related research on state, rural-urban, and international differences 

in mortality. Section III describes data and limitations of the Nation Center for Health Statistics 

(NCHS) decennial life tables used for the analysis. Section IV discusses the statistics used to 

evaluate the overall patterns of change in state mortality from 1960 to 1990. Section V reports 

the results for three measures of variation in state life expectancies for the nation and discusses 

trends in mortality changes within Census Regions. The life expectancy changes for individual 

5
states are also described in the results section. Finally, Section VI summarizes the conclusions 

drawn from this research and offers recommendations for projecting state mortality changes. 

II. Background 

Most of the literature addressing relative changes in U.S. mortality over time is limited to 

single time periods, specific causes of death, or rural-urban differences across the nation or 

within individual states. Several studies report consistent regional patterns for mortality levels in 

the 1980s and 1990s with mortality levels highest in the South. Data from 1988 to 1992 show 

that mortality rates from all causes were highest in the East South Central Division2

 and 

mortality rates were also relatively high in the Pacific region for women (Pickle et al. 1996). 

The regional pattern of mortality is most influenced by the geographic distribution of heart 

disease and lung cancer, the leading causes of death. For the period of 1986 to 1990, NCHS 

vital statistics data show that lung cancer death rates were higher in the South and most of the 

Midwest and lower in the Northeast and West (Edmondson 1994). Circulatory death rates were 

also highest in the South (Schneider et al. 1997). 

National studies report that mortality in urban areas is higher than rural areas and is 

lowest in suburbs (Clifford and Brannon 1985). For example, much of the excess mortality from

ischemic heart disease (IHD) in New York in 1980 to 1987 was associated with the higher rates 

 1

All references to “states” include all 50 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, except where noted. 

6

2

Census Regions and Divisions are: Northeast Region, New England Division – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 

Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut; Northeast Region, Middle Atlantic Division – New York, New Jersey, 

Pennsylvania; Midwest Region, East North Central Division – Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin; 

Midwest Region, West North Central Division – Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, 

Nebraska, Kansas; South Region, South Atlantic Division – Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, 

West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida; South Region, East South Central Division – 

Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi; South Region, West South Central Division – Arkansas, Louisiana, 

Oklahoma, Texas; West Region, Mountain Division – Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, 

Utah, Nevada; West Region, Pacific Division – Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii. 
of IHD mortality in urban centers, particularly New York City (McNutt et al. 1994). These 

differences may be related to differential access to health care, different lifestyles, and exposure 

to environmental hazards. 

The question of interest regarding change over time within the United States is examined 

more directly in two studies that are limited to one cause of death in one state or rural-urban 

differences. Lung cancer research by Pommerenke and colleagues (1994), for example, found 

that within South Carolina lung cancer mortality for all men ages 40 years and over rose from

below the national average in 1953 to 1962 to above the national average in 1978 to 1987. A 

national study of rural-urban differences in mortality from 1950 to 1980 showed that the absolute 

rural-urban mortality differential declined over the time period, but the relative differential 

increased (Clifford and Brannon 1985). 

There is also some research on the convergence of mortality trends at the international 

level. A detailed analysis of mortality patterns in Africa and Latin America describes regional 

convergence during periods of rapid life expectancy improvements in the 1930s to 1950s. From

the 1950s to 1970s, the life expectancy differences among nations in many of the developing 

regions remained relatively stable. The Latin American and Caribbean countries actually 

experienced some divergence in mortality levels from the 1960s to 1970s (Gwatkin 1980). 

White (2002) evaluated annual changes in life expectancy for 21 industrially developed 

countries over four decades. Among other findings, lower life expectancy in 1955 was 

associated with higher average annual increases in life expectancy at birth from 1955 to 1996. 

This tendency to converge toward the mean occurred primarily before 1980, and there has been 

relatively low variance in life expectancy since 1980. The rate of life expectancy change for 

these developed countries was generally between its previous rate of change and that of the 

7
entire group. A similar study for Japan concludes that the slowing of Japanese mortality decline 

corresponds to a convergence with the mortality levels of other developed counties (Wilmoth 

1998). 

An evaluation of about 184 United Nations countries reports declining differences in the 

range of life expectancy at birth from 1950-55 to 2000 (Wilson 2001). The inter-quartile range 

of life expectancies for these countries declined from 26 years in the early 1950s to 8 years in 

2000. This study also showed convergence of fertility rates over the same time period. 

These findings suggest that geographic differences in mortality may change over time 

rather than remain constant as assumed in the state projections. Factors that influence changes in 

life expectancy within the United States include increasing mobility and communication, 

decreasing differential access to health care, nearly universal access to vaccines against 

childhood diseases, improved public health services (White 2002), and changes in income

inequality (Lochner et al 2001). It is hypothesized that these changes reduce the differences in 

mortality levels between states and that state mortality rates converge, or become more similar to 

each other, over time. A convergence toward national mortality levels may also be associated 

with approaching the biological limits of mortality (Coale 1996, White 2002). This hypothesis 

proposes that states with above average life expectancy will experience slower life expectancy 

gains and states with below average life expectancy will experience relatively faster life 

expectancy gains and “catch up” to the states with higher life expectancies. 

The alternative hypothesis and the assumption currently used in state population 

projections is that relative differences in state mortality levels will remain in the future. This 

may be due to the wide variety of factors that influence mortality levels, such as education, 

8
income, environmental conditions, public health services and access to health care, and these 

may continue to differ across states. 

Similar studies of the convergence or divergence of state fertility rates over time provide 

the general framework for this research. O’Connell (1981) calculated changes in the relative 

variation (coefficient of variation) among states from 1940 to 1977 for the total fertility rates and 

the average number of lifetime births expected. The results did not show a consistent pattern of 

convergence or divergence of fertility over time for individual states, however, South and nonSouth differences declined substantially over this time period. Heaton (1998) also found no 

consistent trends in the changes in fertility for states relative to the nation and each other over 

time. 

III. Data 

The average number of years lived, or life expectancy at birth, is a composite measure of 

the mortality experience of a population at a given time period. Life expectancy at birth captures 

the higher risk of mortality at infancy and early childhood as well as the degree to which 

mortality risk increases at older ages. The average number of years remaining for people who 

survive to a specific age eliminates variations caused by the heavily weighted impact of infant 

and child mortality and death in early adulthood. Comparisons of life expectancy at age 65 are 

commonly used to indicate different levels of mortality from chronic, degenerative diseases of

old age rather than the more diverse mortality experience of the entire population. 

Figure 1 shows examples of life expectancy trends from birth to age 110 for Hawaii and 

the District of Columbia in 1990. The small increase from life expectancy at birth to life 

expectancy at age 1 for the District of Columbia is explained by the relatively high risk of death 

9
during the first year of life compared to later in childhood. After age 65, life expectancy begins 

to decline at slower rates. The differences in life expectancy are generally smaller at age 65 than 

at birth. Life expectancy at birth is used in this research to capture state differences in overall 

mortality and life expectancy at age 65 is used to capture the more limited mortality differences 

among states at the ages where most deaths occur. 

NCHS produced a series of U.S. Decennial Life Tables from state level mortality data for 

the three years surrounding the decennial years 1960, 1970, 1980 and 19903, as well as earlier 

periods not included in this study (NCHS 1975b, 1985-86, 1998b). These years were selected 

because they follow the substantial mortality declines in the first half of the twentieth century 

due to the widespread use of antibiotics and vaccines (NCHS 1987b) and they are most relevant 

to projecting future mortality. In each series U.S. and state life tables were calculated for single 

years of age up to 110 for the total population, males, females, Whites, All Other Nonwhites 

(referred to as Nonwhites in this paper), and the four sex-race groups. In 1980 and 1990, life 

tables were also calculated for Blacks, Black males, and Black females within the All Other 

Nonwhite group. 

NCHS made several adjustments to the life tables and source data: 

1) The life table calculations used birth registration data for the population under age two 

instead of Census data for all four time periods because infants were under-enumerated in 

Census population data (NCHS 1967, 1975a, 1987a, 1998a). 

 

10

3

Decennial years refer to the three-year period for which the life expectancies are calculated: 1960 (1959-1961); 

1970 (1969-1971); 1980 (1979-1981); and 1990 (1989-1991). 
2) To correct for birthday preferences of 1900 in the 1960 Census, the Nonwhite 

population ages 55 to 64 was redistributed in the two relevant five-year age groups (55 to 59 

years and 60 to 64 years) (NCHS 1967). 

3) Sample Census data were used to construct 1960 life table populations for ages 85 to 

100 because complete 1960 Census tabulations were only available through age 85 (NCHS 

1967). 

4) The 1970 and 1980 Census populations required adjustments to the centenarian 

population and the population other than White or Black due to overestimates of each (NCHS 

1975a, 1987a). 

5) The 1990 Census population included modifications by age and race that differed from

the 1970 and 1980 adjustments (NCHS 1998a). 

6) The 1970, 1980, and 1990 life tables used Medicare death data for ages 85 and older 

(NCHS 1975a, 1987a, 1998a). 

7) Trend smoothing was applied to address some of the variations caused by differential 

coverage, age misreporting, and small denominator populations (NCHS 1967, 1975a, 1987a, 

1998a). 

Though the NCHS life tables were based on Census data and birth and death registration 

data, no effort was made to adjust these data where they were believed to be incomplete (NCHS 

1967, 1975a, 1987a, 1998a). Census coverage rates varied by state, race, and age and differed 

for the four time periods. The estimated net undercount generally declined from 1960 to 1990 

and was 3.1 percent in 1960, 2.7 percent in 1970, 1.2 percent in 1980, and 1.8 percent in 1990 

(Hogan and Robinson 1993, Robinson and West 2000). For all four Censuses the undercount for 

Blacks was 3.7 to 4.4 percent higher than for the other races combined. The net undercount was 

11
particularly large for Black children and adult men. Due to race and age compositions and other 

factors, Census coverage differed by state and region as well. The estimated 1990 Census 

undercount in the West and South Regions was higher than in the Northeast and Midwest 

Regions. The undercount was also higher for non-urban areas than urban areas (Hogan and 

Robinson 1993). 

Evaluations of birth registration data have shown that under-registration, though less than 

one percent by the 1960s, was historically larger for the Black population than other populations. 

 The death registration data used to create the NCHS life tables were largely complete also, but 

may have contained errors due to misreported age and race (Robinson and West 2000). 

There are well-established historical differences in life expectancy for males and females 

and Whites and Nonwhites (see Appendices A-1 through A-8). For example, U.S. White male 

life expectancy at birth was 72.7 years in 1990, about seven years lower than the White female 

life expectancy of 79.5 years. The Nonwhite female life expectancy of 75.4 years was also 

substantially lower (about four years) than the White female life expectancy. While life 

expectancy differences between the sexes have generally increased, differences between the 

Black and White populations have decreased over the past several decades. In order to make 

comparisons of state mortality that are not biased by differences in race and sex distributions 

across states, comparisons must be made separately for White males, White females, Nonwhite 

males, and Nonwhite females. 

NCHS did not compute state life expectancies for all four sex-race groups for every state 

because some states did not contain enough registered deaths to produce reliable and stable 

12
estimates of mortality rates for the three-year period4

. For Nonwhites, life expectancy was 

calculated for 25 states in 1960 and 40 states in 1990. For Whites, life expectancy was computed 

for every state and for every year except Alaska and Hawaii in 1970. The 48 remaining states 

and the District of Columbia are referred to as the “selected states” for the White population in 

this paper. 

Long-term patterns of state life expectancy can only be analyzed for Whites and 

Nonwhites because Black life expectancy was not available in the NCHS data for 1960 and 

1970. However, life expectancy differences between states and changes in individual states over 

time are biased because there are different proportions of Blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders, 

American Indians, and other groups included in the Nonwhite classification and because these 

populations have very different life expectancies. The proportion of the Nonwhite population 

who are Black decreased for most states from 1960 to 1990 and Asian and Pacific Islanders 

made up increasingly larger proportions of Nonwhites. 

In order to evaluate at least some of the available data on Nonwhite life expectancy, 

states were selected for the analyses if at least 80 percent of the Nonwhite population was Black, 

as enumerated in each of the 1960 to 1990 decennial Censuses. Though this set of states is not 

entirely free of biases due to differential racial composition, it represents a fairly homogeneous 

population of Black males and females. The twenty states that met the selection criteria for all 

four time periods are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, 

Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, the number of 

 

13

4

The number of deaths required for the standards of accuracy was 2000 in 1960, 1600 in 1970, and 700 in 1980 and 

1990. 
Nonwhite deaths for at least one sex group in Delaware and West Virginia did not meet the 

NCHS standards to compute life tables for 1960 and 1970 and those two states were excluded 

from the analyses. The 18 remaining states are referred to as the “selected states” for the 

Nonwhite population in this paper. 

The state figures for the White population are also biased by combining the mortality 

experiences of both the Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. However, there are no separate 

state-level data on these two populations from 1960 to 1990, so Hispanic and non-Hispanic 

effects cannot be separated in this evaluation. 

IV. Methods 

Three measures of variation are used to determine whether state life expectancies are 

becoming more or less similar to each other or the national average over time: 1) inter-quartile 

range; 2) coefficient of variation; and 3) Dispersion Index. The measures of variation are 

calculated for life expectancy at birth and at age 65 separately for White males, White females, 

Nonwhite males, and Nonwhite females for all the selected states combined and within Census 

Regions and the Southern Divisions. The inter-quartile range measures the difference between 

the life expectancies for states at the 25th and 75th percentiles. The coefficient of variation and 

the Dispersion Index are both summary measures of the variation in state life expectancy that 

can be compared over the four time periods. 

The coefficient of variation is the standard deviation of the differences between state life 

expectancies and the mean life expectancy for the selected states divided by the mean life 

expectancy for the selected states (Blalock 1979, O’Connell 1981). The mean for the selected 

14
states is used in order to treat the life expectancies of all states equally, regardless of population 

size. 

The Dispersion Index is an indicator of variation that does not rely on state differences 

from the average life expectancy. In situations where the mean life expectancy is dominated by 

one or a few outliers among the states, the Dispersion Index should provide a better measure of 

the overall spread of the data than the coefficient of variation. The Dispersion Index is based on 

the Root Mean-Squared Deviation (RMSD), which 

is the square-root of mean-square deviation (MSD), a measure of variation that is 

computed independently of the mean. That is, unlike variance, MSD is computed by 

averaging the sum of squared differences among all distinct pairs of observations instead 

of averaging the sum of squared differences from the mean (Galal and Qureshi 1997: 

1894). 

The Dispersion Index is the ratio of the RMSD for each time period to the first time period of 

interest, 1960, designated as the base year. The index gives a relative measure of change in the 

RMSD, but does not produce results that are uniquely different from it. 

The inter-quartile range, the coefficient of variation, and the Dispersion Index show the 

variation or dispersion in state life expectancy values change from 1960 to 1990. If the 

indicators decline in magnitude over time then state life expectancies generally converged 

toward the national average. If the indicators increase in magnitude over time, states became

increasingly different from each other and the national average. There may be no consistent 

pattern across the four time periods, in which case the 1996 state population projection 

assumption that states maintain their mortality levels relative to the nation is probably the best 

alternative. 

In addition to the summary measures, trends for individual states are assessed by changes 

in life expectancy ranks from 1960 to 1990 and comparisons of the linear fit or average amount 

15
of change in life expectancy. States are ranked in order of life expectancy values and how their 

positions shift over time roughly indicates convergence or divergence. Slopes generated from

the linear fit of life expectancy over the four time periods are used to determine whether the 

average rate of change in life expectancy for individual states is higher or lower than the average 

rate of change in life expectancy for the United States. 

V. Results 

A. Variation in White Life Expectancy 

Table 1 presents the inter-quartile range, coefficient of variation, and Dispersion Index, 

as calculated for the selected states, for life expectancy at birth and age 65 for White males and 

White females. There is no uniform pattern of convergence or divergence from one decade to 

the next. For White male life expectancy at birth, the inter-quartile range increases from 1.0 year 

in 1960 to 1.6 years in 1990. The Dispersion Index also shows some increasing variation from

1960 to 1990 with the exception of 1980. In contrast, the coefficient of variation remains 

relatively constant throughout the four time periods. 

For White female life expectancy at birth, there is little change in all three measures of

variation across the four time periods. For example, the coefficient of variation only ranges from

0.009 to 0.010 from 1960 to 1990. 

For White male life expectancy at age 65, the summary measures decline in value from

1960 to 1980, suggesting a pattern of convergence, and increase in value from 1980 to 1990, 

suggesting divergence. A similar reversal in the trend is recorded by the Dispersion Index for 

White female life expectancy at age 65, but the inter-quartile range and coefficient of variation 

16
show convergence across the entire time period. One explanation for the apparent convergence 

of life expectancy levels from 1960 to 1980 and the divergence from 1980 to 1990 may be the 

increasing diversity of the White population in some states, such as the growing Hispanic 

population in the South and West. However, these findings are also consistent with a cyclical 

pattern of convergence and divergence. 

Though there are few differences over time in the summary measures of variation, the 

relative positions of individual states in the range of White life expectancies may have changed 

completely between 1960 and 1990 (see Section V.C. below). 

B. Variation in Nonwhite Life Expectancy 

Table 2 presents the inter-quartile range, coefficient of variation, and Dispersion Index 

for Nonwhite male and female life expectancy at birth and at age 65 for the 18 selected states. 

Similar to White male life expectancy at birth, the measures of variation for Nonwhite male life 

expectancy at birth do not show clear patterns of convergence or divergence. The inter-quartile 

range suggests convergence from 1970 (1.8 years) to 1990 (1.4 years) while the other two 

measures show declining variation from 1960 to 1980 with relatively large increases in variation 

from 1980 to 1990. The coefficient of variation and Dispersion Index for 1990 are larger than 

for 1960, suggesting that the convergence of state life expectancy between 1960 and 1980 had 

little lasting effect on the overall levels of differences in state mortality. 

The trends for Nonwhite female life expectancy at birth are similar to those for Nonwhite 

male life expectancy at birth except the increases in the measures of variation from 1980 to 1990 

are somewhat smaller, suggesting a general trend toward convergence. For example, the 

Dispersion Index is 1.00 for 1960 (by definition), 0.50 for 1980, and 0.65 for 1990. 

17
For life expectancy at age 65, all three measures of variation for Nonwhite males and 

females generally show steady declines in variation from 1960 to 1990. For example, the 

coefficient of variation for Nonwhite males decreased from 0.046 for 1960 to 0.020 for 1990. 

The convergence hypothesis is most consistently supported by the results for the two Nonwhite 

groups. 

C. State Rankings of White Life Expectancy 

Given the mixed pattern of convergence and divergence described by the three measures 

of variation, a closer examination of the trends in life expectancy for individual states and 

regions is warranted. Tables 3 through 8 show the state rankings for life expectancy at birth and 

at age 65 by sex and race group. While there are some general regional patterns, there are also a 

number of exceptions to the patterns and the results do not support a single conclusion of 

convergence or divergence. It is important to note that due to the small differences in life 

expectancies, the precise order of state rankings should not be considered reliable. 

For White male life expectancy at birth (see Table 3): 

• Many states in the Midwest maintained roughly the same ranks across all four 

time periods. These states include North Dakota (ranks ranging from 1 to 3), 

Iowa (ranks ranging from 4 to 9), Michigan (ranks ranging from 20 to 24), and 

Illinois (ranks ranging from 27 to 30). 

• States in the Northeast experienced relatively large life expectancy gains as 

reflected in improved ranks from 1960 to 1990, such as those for New Jersey 

18
(rank 24 to 16), Massachusetts (rank 26 to 14), New Hampshire (rank 34 to 15), 

and Maine (rank 39 to 26). 

• One exception to the trends in the Northeast is New York, with a rank that 

declined from 28 in 1960 to 37 in 1990. 

• States in the West generally recorded the largest improvements in ranks from

1960 to 1990: Utah (rank 6 to 1), Washington (rank 15 to 8), New Mexico (rank 

40 to 31), Wyoming (rank 42 to 19), and Montana (rank 45 to 13). 

• California, ranked 19 in 1960 and 32 in 1990, stands out as an exception to the 

relatively large improvements in the West. 

• States in the South recorded some of the largest declines in rank, most notably 

Arkansas (rank 11 to 40), Oklahoma (rank 12 to 38), Mississippi (rank 30 to 48), 

and Kentucky (rank 32 to 47). 

• Large declines in rank also occurred for some of the southern-most Midwest 

states, such as Missouri (rank 13 to 34), Indiana (rank 23 to 33), and Ohio (rank 

18 to 30), suggesting that closer ties with the South is associated with relatively 

slower life expectancy increases. 

• However, the White males in the Southern states of Virginia (rank 31 to 25), 

Maryland (rank 37 to 21), and Washington, DC (rank 48 to 43) improved in life 

expectancy ranks. 

For White female life expectancy at birth (see Table 4): 

19
• Midwest states maintained about the same positions over all four time periods, 

particularly from 1970 to 1990. Examples of these states include Iowa (ranks 

ranking from 4 to 7), South Dakota (ranks ranging from 1 to 5), and Michigan 

(ranks ranging from 34 to 35). 

• Ranks for Northeastern states tended to rise, similar to the changes for White 

males: Connecticut (rank 25 to 9), New Hampshire (ranks 32 to 19), Vermont 

(ranks 33 to 21), and Massachusetts (rank 37 to 14). 

• One difference from White males is an increase in ranking of White female life 

expectancy for New York (rank 47 to 37) where males experienced a decline 

(rank 28 to 37). 

• Some Western states recorded improved rankings, such as Utah (rank 11 to 8), 

Colorado (rank 24 to 12), Arizona (rank 28 to 17), Montana (rank 30 to 16), and 

New Mexico (rank 45 to 23), while others experienced declines in life expectancy 

ranks, including Washington (rank 14 to 18), Oregon (rank 15 to 20), California 

(rank 19 to 32), and Wyoming (rank 23 to 26). 

• There were relatively large declines in the South: Arkansas (rank 4 to 41), 

Oklahoma (rank 6 to 45), Texas (rank 10 to 28), Georgia (rank 13 to 40), 

Mississippi (rank 16 to 43), and Kentucky (rank 38 to 47). 

• As with White males, there are some exceptions where the ranks increased from

1960 to 1990 in Virginia (rank 27 to 25), Maryland (rank 43 to 33), and 

Washington, DC (rank 46 to 3). 

20

For White male life expectancy at age 65 (see Table 5): 
• Compared with White male life expectancy at birth, the trends in the Midwest 

states for life expectancy at age 65 are more variable. Most states fall in wider 

ranges of life expectancy over the four time periods, such as Kansas (ranks 

ranging from 2 to 14), Nebraska (ranks ranking from 8 to 19), Wisconsin (ranks 

ranging from 14 to 20), and Illinois (ranks ranging from 31 to 38). 

• More Midwestern states declined in rank than increased in rank from 1960 to 

1990. 

• Northeastern states generally rose in rank from 1960 to 1990. For example, 

Connecticut (rank 33 to 11), Massachusetts (rank 39 to 21), New York (rank 44 to 

22) experienced relatively large gains. 

• Western states with higher ranks in 1990 than in 1960 include Utah (rank 10 to 2), 

Washington (rank 21 to 9), California (rank 24 to 13), and Arizona (rank 26 to 3). 

• States in the South experienced relatively large declines in life expectancy ranks: 

Arkansas (rank 4 to 33), Texas (rank 15 to 25), Mississippi (rank 16 to 47), and 

Virginia (rank 31 to 34). 

• Florida stands out an as exception to the declines in the South with the highest life 

expectancy at age 65 for each of the four time periods5

. 

For White female life expectancy at age 65 (see Table 6): 

• Rankings for Midwestern states fall within relatively narrow ranges, but in 

contrast to the declines in rank for White males, the ranks for White females 

 

21

5

If included, Hawaii would rank first in 1980 and 1990. 
generally increased. Examples include South Dakota (rank 9 to 2), Iowa (rank 

12 to 6), North Dakota (rank 16 to 1), and Illinois (rank 42 to 28). 

• Life expectancy ranks for all nine states in the Northeast increased from 1960 to 

1990. Some of the largest increases occurred for Vermont (rank 35 to 25), New 

Hampshire (rank 37 to 30), Maine (rank 38 to 29), Connecticut (rank 40 to 12), 

New Jersey (rank 47 to 40), and Pennsylvania (rank 49 to 42). 

• In contrast to the increases for White males, the ranks for White females in the 

Western states mainly declined, including Oregon (rank 10 to 20), Colorado 

(rank 11 to 16), California (rank 13 to 26), and Nevada (rank 24 to 49). 

• However, Utah (rank 14 to 9), New Mexico (rank 22 to 17), and Montana (rank 

26 to 15) recorded improvements in life expectancy relative to the other states. 

• With some exceptions like Florida (rank 1 to 4) and Washington DC (rank 21 to 

3), Southern states generally experienced large declines in rank. Oklahoma 

(rank 2 to 41), Arkansas (rank 5 to 27), Georgia (rank 19 to 38), Louisiana (rank 

29 to 45) and West Virginia (rank 36 to 48) lost twelve or more positions from

1960 to 1990. 

D. State Rankings of Nonwhite Life Expectancy 

Tables 7 and 8 show the state rankings for life expectancy at birth and at age 65 for the 

Nonwhite population in the selected states. As with White life expectancy, there are some

general regional patterns, but there are also a number of exceptions to the patterns and the results 

do not support a single conclusion of convergence or divergence. With only 18 states selected 

for the analysis of Nonwhite life expectancy, the regional trends are better described by North22
South and East-West differences. 

For Nonwhite male life expectancy at birth (Table 7): 

• States in the Southeast tended to have the lowest life expectancy ranks in 1960 or 

experienced the slowest improvements and declined toward the lowest ranks by 

1990. These states include Georgia (rank 17 to 15), South Carolina (rank 18 to 

16), Louisiana (rank 6 to 17), and Mississippi (rank 7 to 11). 

• The rank for Florida increased from 15 to 6, in the opposite direction from most 

of the South. 

• The northernmost states in the Southern Region recorded increases in rank: 

Maryland (rank 12 to 5), Virginia (rank 13 to 1), Kentucky (rank 14 to 3), and 

North Carolina (rank 16 to 9). 

• However, the rank for Washington, D.C. declined from 9 in 1960 to last (18) in 

1990. 

• Some states in the Midwest and North experienced declines in ranks, for example 

Michigan (rank 1 to 14) and Pennsylvania (rank 5 to 13), while others maintained 

relatively high positions: Ohio (rank 3 to 4), Indiana (rank 4 to 2) and Missouri 

(rank 10 to 7). 

 

For Nonwhite female life expectancy at birth (Table 7): 

• The changes in ranks for Nonwhite females from 1960 to 1990 are nearly 

identical to the changes for Nonwhite males. 

23
• States in the Southeast had the lowest ranks in 1960 and remained relatively low 

or declined to the lowest positions by 1990: Louisiana (rank 7 to 17), Georgia 

(rank 17 to 13), and South Carolina (rank 18 to 16). 

• The rank for Florida increased from 15 to 7, in the opposite direction from most 

of the South. 

• The states in the northern half of the South, such as Maryland (rank 11 to 2), 

Virginia (rank 14 to 1), Kentucky (rank 13 to 4), and North Carolina (rank 12 to 

5), generally increased in rank with the exception of Washington, D.C. (rank 5 to 

18). 

• Some states in the Midwest and North declined in rank, for example Michigan 

(rank 1 to 14) and Pennsylvania (rank 6 to 12), while others maintained relatively 

high positions: Ohio (rank 3 in 1960 and 1990), Indiana (rank 4 to 6) and 

Missouri (rank 9 in 1960 and 1990). 

• Though the ranks for males changed little for Tennessee and Alabama from 1960 

to 1990, for Nonwhite females, Tennessee lost several positions (rank 10 to 15) 

and Alabama improved by several positions (rank 16 to 10). 

For Nonwhite male life expectancy at age 65 (Table 8): 

• Many of the Southern states showed dramatic declines in life expectancy ranks: 

South Carolina (rank 5 to 16), Alabama (rank 6 to 11), Georgia (rank 7 to 17), 

and Louisiana (rank 8 to 12). 

• Florida maintained a relatively high level of life expectancy through most of the 

24
four time periods (rank 1 to 4), but ranked as low 9 in 1980. 

• The more northern states of Ohio (rank 11 to 3), Indiana (rank 12 to 8), 

Pennsylvania (rank 14 to 6), Virginia (rank 15 to 10), and Maryland (rank 18 to 

9) had relative improvements in rank. 

• The rank for Washington, D.C. also increased from 17 in 1960 to 13 in 1990, in 

contrast to the decline to last place for Nonwhite male life expectancy at birth. 

 

For Nonwhite female life expectancy at age 65 (Table 8): 

• While some of the states in the South recorded steep declines in rank, like South 

Carolina (rank 4 to 16), Georgia (rank 3 to 14), and Louisiana (rank 6 to 17), 

other Southern states showed improvements in rank, such as North Carolina 

(rank 11 to 3) and Alabama (rank 8 to 6). 

• The more northern of the Southern states tended to increase in rank: Virginia 

(rank 16 to 5), and Maryland (rank 18 to 11), and Washington, D.C. (rank 17 to 

2). 

• Florida experienced relatively high levels of life expectancy through most of the 

four time periods (rank 1 in 1960 and 1990), but ranked as low 6 in 1980. 

• Some of the North and Midwest states declined in life expectancy ranks, such as 

Michigan (rank 5 to 10), Missouri (rank 10 to 12), and Pennsylvania (rank 13 to 

15), while little change occurred for Ohio (rank 9 to 8) and Indiana (rank 12 to 

9). 

25
E. Linear Regression Estimates for State Life Expectancies 

Tables 9 through 12 summarize the state life expectancies for four time periods into a 

single measure of linear fit, or slope estimate. While the linear fit ignores some of the 

fluctuation in life expectancy by averaging the change over time, it allows for a systematic 

evaluation of relative change. A linear fit was calculated for each state and compared to the 

corresponding value for the nation. States that are identified as improving slower or faster than 

the U.S. may be converging toward or diverging from the national trends, depending on the 

actual levels of life expectancy. State slopes that are relatively close to the U.S. slopes are 

considered to be equivalent to the U.S. These are the states for which the population projection 

assumption regarding mortality, that states maintain their mortality levels relative to the nation 

over time, is most accurate. Slope values were calculated for life expectancy at birth and at age 

65 for the four sex-race groups. The results are consistent with the general conclusions about the 

state rankings as discussed above. 

White male life expectancy at birth improved slowest in Missouri and all the states in the 

West South Central and East South Central divisions (see Table 9). States in the South with 

smaller than average changes also had lower than average life expectancies throughout all four 

time periods. This combination essentially describes divergence from the U.S. mean from 1960 

to 1990. In contrast, many states in the Northeast and West had better than average 

improvements in White male life expectancy at birth. The states with lower life expectancies in 

1960 converged with and sometimes exceeded the national average by 1980 or 1990. Most of 

the Midwest states experienced average changes in White male life expectancy at birth similar to 

the average change at the national level. 

26
The geographical distribution of states with slower increases in life expectancy at birth 

for White females is similar to that of White males. In addition to most states in the South, 

California, Kansas, and Nebraska had lower than average improvements in White female life 

expectancy at birth. More rapid increases in life expectancy at birth occurred for New Mexico, 

North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, D.C. and most Northeastern states. Given their lower 

life expectancies in 1960 and their higher rates of change, some of these states converged toward 

the national average from 1960 to 1990 and some rose above the national average by 1990. 

As seen with the results for life expectancy at birth, improvement in White male life 

expectancy at age 65 was slower than average in many of the Southern states (see Table 10). 

Combined with some of the higher life expectancies in 1960, the slower increases in life 

expectancy produced convergence toward the U.S. average eventually followed by decline in 

relative life expectancy in the South, as shown by the changes in ranks above. Many of the 

Midwest states, such as Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, and Missouri, also had relatively small 

average improvements in life expectancy at age 65. Several states in the Northeast and a few of 

the states in the West had larger improvements in White male life expectancy at age 65 than the 

national average. The relatively large improvements in life expectancy in the Northeast 

generally produced convergence toward the U.S. mean. 

Several states in the South and West have smaller slopes for White female life 

expectancy at age 65, including Oregon, Nevada, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, 

Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. The states in the West generally converge toward the U.S. 

mean life expectancy for White females, while the states in the South moved toward the U.S. 

mean from 1960 to 1980 and then continued to fall in rank and diverged below the mean by 

27
1990. The average change in life expectancy at age 65 for the Northeast and Midwest was 

higher than the change for the U.S. resulting in convergence toward the mean. 

In addition to the slopes for Nonwhite life expectancy for the entire U.S., slopes were 

calculated for the average of the 18 selected states, weighted by their corresponding Census 

populations, to provide more meaningful comparisons. Among the states selected to represent 

the Black population, Nonwhite male life expectancy at birth rose slower in Washington, D.C., 

Pennsylvania, and the Midwest (see Table 11). The more western of the Southern states, 

Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, also experienced smaller average changes than the 

national average. These findings are consistent with the changes in ranks discussed above and 

with a convergence toward the national average because these states had relatively higher life 

expectancies in 1960. The life expectancy in Kentucky and the South Atlantic Division states 

increased faster than the U.S. average. These states all had lower life expectancies in 1960 and 

thus converged toward the U.S. mean and some states even surpassed the mean U.S. life 

expectancy at birth by 1990. Over the period of 1960 to 1990, Pennsylvania and the Midwest 

states reversed positions with the South Atlantic Division and the life expectancy differentials, as 

indicated by the measures of variation discussed above (Section V.B.), actually increased from

1980 to 1990. 

The geographic distribution of states with slowly increasing life expectancy at birth for 

Nonwhite females closely resembles that of Nonwhite males. Most of the Midwest and more 

western of the Southern states had life expectancies with smaller than average changes than the 

nation. The Nonwhite female life expectancy for Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina 

increased faster than the national average. As with Nonwhite male life expectancy at birth, the 

28
measures of dispersion for Nonwhite females indicate convergence from 1960 to 1980 and 

divergence between 1980 and 1990. 

The trends in Nonwhite male life expectancy at age 65 are very different from the 

corresponding trends for life expectancy at birth (see Table 12). Most of the Northern half of the 

country, including Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, had life expectancies at age 65 that 

improved faster than the Southern half of the country. By 1990, only Arkansas, Florida, and 

Mississippi had above average life expectancy at age 65 along with the majority of the Northern 

states. The combination of smaller improvements in life expectancy for Southern states that had 

above average life expectancy in 1960 and larger improvements for Northern states that had 

below average life expectancy in 1960 is consistent with the measures of variation that indicate 

convergence of Nonwhite male life expectancy at age 65 from 1960 to 1990 (Section V.B.). 

Life expectancy at age 65 for Nonwhite females improved more slowly in the 

southernmost states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina than the 

average for the states selected for this analysis. More rapid advances in life expectancy for 

Nonwhite females occurred for Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, 

D.C. As with Nonwhite males, life expectancy at age 65 in these states generally converged 

toward the Nonwhite female national average from 1960 to 1990. 

F. Variation in Life Expectancy by Regions 

The coefficient of variation was calculated by Census Regions or Divisions because the 

measures of variation as calculated for the entire U.S. do not capture the regional patterns 

identified by examining life expectancy changes for individual states. This measure was selected 

because it is largely consistent with the Dispersion Indices calculated for all states and because 

29
the inter-quartile range would lose meaning if applied to only a few observations. The 

coefficient of variation includes the number of observations in its formula and there are about 

twice as many states in the South as in the other Census Regions. Therefore, separate 

calculations were produced for the South Atlantic Division and the combined states of the East 

South Central and West South Central Divisions. For some Nonwhite statistics, Pennsylvania, 

the only Northeast state of the selected group, was included with the states in the Midwest. 

Table 13 shows the coefficients of variation for White life expectancy at birth and at age 

65 by Census Regions and Southern Divisions. White male and female life expectancy at birth 

for states in the Midwest show no measurable change in variation from 1970 to 1990. These 

states did not experience large changes in rank relative to other states and had average changes 

between the four time periods that were similar to those for the nation as a whole. Figure 2 

shows how the life expectancy changes in the Midwest states for White males roughly parallel 

each other and the changes for the U.S. 

The coefficients of variation for states in the South Central Division decline in value for 

both White male and female life expectancy at birth, suggesting some convergence of life 

expectancy trends from 1960 to 1990. The coefficients of variation fluctuate over time for the 

Northeast, West, and South Atlantic Division. With relatively small ranges of values within 

these regions, it could be argued that the levels of variation were about the same over the four 

time periods. 

The coefficients of variation for White male and female life expectancy at age 65 for the 

Midwest varied more than the corresponding values for life expectancy at birth (Table 13). 

However, the values fluctuate and there is no consistent pattern across time. In general, life 

30
expectancy at age 65 for White males in the Northeast tended to diverge, while life expectancy 

for White females tended to converge from 1960 to 1990. 

The variation in White male life expectancy among states in the West Region and South 

Atlantic and South Central Divisions declined from 1960 to 1980, but increased from 1980 to 

1990. This also occurred for White female life expectancy at birth for the South Atlantic 

Division. There is no consistent pattern in the coefficient of variation for White females in the 

West, but the values consistently decrease over the four time periods in the South Central 

Division, indicating convergence within the region. Figure 3 shows the narrower range of life 

expectancy at age 65 for White females in the South Central states in 1990 compared to 1960. 

Table 14 shows the coefficients of variation for Nonwhite male and female life 

expectancy at birth and at age 65 by Census Region and the Southern Division. For Nonwhite 

male life expectancy at birth, the coefficients of variation show some convergence or decreasing 

variation from 1960 to 1980 for the Midwest, the Midwest and Northeast combined, the South, 

and the South Central Division. All the coefficients of variation for 1990, however, are larger 

than the coefficients of variation for 1980, suggesting a reversal of the convergence within 

regions. This also occurred within all regions for Nonwhite female life expectancy at birth 

except for the South Central Division where the coefficient of variation shows convergence 

across all four time periods. Figure 4 traces the declining variation in Nonwhite female life 

expectancy at birth for the South Central Division. 

The states in the South Atlantic Division had increasing variation from 1970 to 1990 for 

Nonwhite male life expectancy at birth. This result is largely influenced by the decline in life 

expectancy for Washington, D.C. from 1980 to 1990. The range of values for Nonwhite female 

31
life expectancy for the South Atlantic Division is much smaller than for males and does not 

indicate a pattern of increasing or decreasing variation. 

The coefficient of variation for both Nonwhite male and Nonwhite female life 

expectancy at age 65 indicates consistent trends toward convergence within all regions. Many of 

the values decline by more than half from 1960 to 1990. An example of the dramatic decreases 

in variation for Nonwhite females in the South Atlantic Division is shown in Figure 5. As found 

with the measures of variation for all of the selected states combined (see Section V.B.), the 

evidence for convergence of Nonwhite life expectancy at age 65 is the most consistent in this 

research.

VI. Summary and Conclusions 

This paper assesses trends in the relative changes in state life expectancy from 1960 to 

1990 for White males, White females, Nonwhite males, and Nonwhite females. Three measures 

of variation, the inter-quartile range, Dispersion Index, and coefficient of variation, generally 

show that state life expectancy at birth and at age 65 converged toward the national average from

1960 to 1980 for all four sex-race groups. However, in many cases there was a reversal of the 

convergence trend between 1980 and 1990 where the measures indicate that the variation in state 

life expectancy at birth for all four sex-race groups increased. In some cases the measures of 

variation for 1990 are as large as or larger than for 1960. The trend reversal also occurred for 

White male and female life expectancy at age 65, but the 1960 to 1980 decreases in variation 

continued through 1990 for Nonwhite male and female life expectancy at age 65. 

Though the measures of variation do not yield a single conclusion about whether life 

expectancy differences among states became smaller or larger from 1960 to 1990, there are some

32
fairly consistent regional patterns. States in the Northeast experienced relatively large 

improvements in White life expectancy over the four time periods. Western states also recorded 

relatively large increases in life expectancy compared with other states, but only for White 

males. States in the South generally had smaller life expectancy gains among Whites and life 

expectancy changes for states in the Midwest kept pace with the national average. 

With sufficient data on Nonwhite life expectancy available for only 18 states, the analysis 

of the regional trends from 1960 to 1990 for Nonwhites is more limited. The changes in life 

expectancy at birth were generally smaller in the Midwest and the more western of the Southern 

states while the changes were larger in the South Atlantic Division. In contrast, the pace of the 

change in life expectancy at age 65 was higher for the northernmost of the Southern states than 

that for the Midwest and the other Southern states. 

Despite the trends identified by this research, there are several reasons why it would be 

difficult to justify projecting mortality rates that differ by state or region. First, there are 

exceptions to the patterns for every region and some of those exceptions are states with large 

populations, such as California and New York. Second, there are insufficient data for the 

Nonwhite population for much of the period from 1960 to 1990, so there is little basis for 

projecting different changes in Nonwhite mortality for the majority of the states. Third, the state 

life expectancies for the White population apply to Hispanics and non-Hispanics and the state 

life expectancies for the Nonwhite population apply to Blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders, 

American Indians, and other Nonwhite groups. These populations may have very different life 

expectancies and may experience different changes in life expectancy over time. Consequently, 

the trends identified in this paper are biased to the degree that population distributions by race 

and Hispanic origin differ across states. 

33
Finally, many of the measures of variation for both the nation and regions indicate 

convergence from 1960 to 1980 and trend reversals from 1980 to 1990. These findings offer 

little support for the hypothesis that the levels of state mortality become more similar to each 

other over time. These results may be interpreted as a cyclical pattern with a peak in life 

expectancy convergence around 1980, but predicting the degree and timing of state mortality 

changes based on only part of a cycle is not advisable. Updated state life tables for 1999-2001 

may clarify the trends, but NCHS life tables will not be available for some time. 

Attempting to incorporate the trends described in this analysis into mortality projections 

for individual states would require broad assumptions and would likely introduce serious flaws 

into the results. Lacking a better alternative, the assumption that the levels of state mortality 

relative to national mortality are constant is the most defensible for state population projections 

produced in the near future. 

34
35
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39
Figure 1. Life Expectancy by Age for the District of Columbia and Hawaii: 1989-1

0

1020304050607080

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 9

Age (in years)

Average Number of Years Remaining

Source: National Center For Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables District of Col
Table 1. Measures of Variation in State Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 for White 

Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

(leading dots indicate sub-parts)

Interquartile 

Difference 

(years)

Coefficient of 

Variation

Root Mean 

Square Deviation

(RMSD)

 Dispersion 

Index

Life Expectancy at Birth

.White Males

..1960 1.0 0.014 0.93 1.00

..1970 1.3 0.015 1.04 1.12

..1980 1.1 0.013 0.94 1.01

..1990 1.6 0.015 1.13 1.22

.White Females

..1960 1.0 0.010 0.76 1.00

..1970 1.0 0.010 0.74 0.97

..1980 0.8 0.009 0.73 0.96

..1990 0.9 0.010 0.81 1.07

Life Expectancy at Age 65

.White Males

..1960 0.9 0.040 0.52 1.00

..1970 0.8 0.038 0.50 0.96

..1980 0.8 0.035 0.50 0.96

..1990 0.9 0.038 0.58 1.12

.White Females

..1960 0.9 0.034 0.55 1.00

..1970 0.9 0.030 0.52 0.95

..1980 0.7 0.025 0.47 0.85

..1990 0.6 0.028 0.55 1.00

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United 

States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life 

Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . National Center for Health 

Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables .

41
Table 2. Measures of Variation in State Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 for 

Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

(leading dots indicate sub-parts)

Interquartile 

Difference 

(years)

Coefficient of 

Variation

Root Mean 

Square Deviation

(RMSD)

 Dispersion 

Index

Life Expectancy at Birth

.Nonwhite Males

..1960 1.6 0.026 1.65 1.00

..1970 1.8 0.018 1.12 0.68

..1980 1.4 0.016 1.03 0.62

..1990 1.4 0.029 1.95 1.18

.Nonwhite Females

..1960 1.4 0.017 1.14 1.00

..1970 0.9 0.011 0.79 0.69

..1980 0.9 0.008 0.57 0.50

..1990 0.8 0.010 0.74 0.65

Life Expectancy at Age 65

.Nonwhite Males

..1960 0.8 0.046 0.60 1.00

..1970 0.4 0.036 0.46 0.77

..1980 0.5 0.027 0.37 0.62

..1990 0.4 0.020 0.27 0.45

.Nonwhite Females

..1960 0.7 0.044 0.68 1.00

..1970 0.7 0.027 0.43 0.63

..1980 0.4 0.015 0.26 0.38

..1990 0.2 0.014 0.25 0.37

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United 

States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life 

Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . National Center for Health 

Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables .

42
Table 3. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Males: 1960 to 1990

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

North Dakota 1 1 2 3

Nebraska 2 7 7 11

Kansas 3 8 10 12

Minnesota 4 3 1 2

Iowa 5 9 4 7

Utah 6 2 3 1

Wisconsin 7 6 6 6

Connecticut 8 4 8 5

South Dakota 9 5 5 4

Idaho 10 16 12 9

Arkansas 11 32 34 40

Oklahoma 12 24 41 38

Missouri 13 25 28 34

Florida 14 18 19 22

Washington 15 17 9 8

Rhode Island 16 13 21 17

Texas 17 22 37 36

Ohio 18 21 36 30

California 19 14 18 32

Colorado 20 11 11 10

Michigan 21 20 24 23

Delaware 22 29 32 29

Indiana 23 31 30 33

New Jersey 24 10 16 16

Oregon 25 12 13 18

Massachusetts 26 15 15 14

Tennessee 27 38 40 42

New York 28 19 25 37

Illinois 29 30 29 27

Mississippi 30 45 47 48

Virginia 31 27 31 25

Kentucky 32 40 45 47

Alabama 33 41 42 46

New Hampshire 34 34 14 15

Pennsylvania 35 28 33 28

Vermont 36 26 22 20

Maryland 37 23 26 21

North Carolina 38 39 39 35

Maine 39 36 27 26

New Mexico 40 35 35 31

Georgia 41 44 43 41

Wyoming 42 43 38 19

Louisiana 43 42 48 45

West Virginia 44 49 49 49

Montana 45 37 23 13

Arizona 46 33 20 24

South Carolina 47 46 46 39

D.C. 48 47 17 43

Nevada 49 48 44 44

Footnotes:

*Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from the rankings since life expectancy was not calculated in 1970 for these two states.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

43
Table 4. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Females: 1960 to 1990

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Florida 1 8 12 6

Nebraska 2 3 5 7

Kansas 3 5 6 11

Arkansas 4 10 17 41

South Dakota 5 2 1 1

Oklahoma 6 14 33 45

Iowa 7 7 4 5

North Dakota 8 1 2 2

Minnesota 9 4 3 4

Texas 10 17 28 28

Utah 11 6 7 8

Idaho 12 12 8 15

Georgia 13 31 34 40

Washington 14 16 15 18

Oregon 15 11 13 20

Mississippi 16 33 32 43

Missouri 17 28 26 24

North Carolina 18 20 19 27

California 19 24 31 32

Alabama 20 21 30 42

Wisconsin 21 13 9 10

Louisiana 22 36 47 46

Wyoming 23 30 23 26

Colorado 24 15 10 12

Connecticut 25 9 11 9

Tennessee 26 23 25 35

Virginia 27 19 27 25

Arizona 28 25 14 17

Indiana 29 35 39 36

Montana 30 27 29 16

Delaware 31 32 44 44

New Hampshire 32 37 24 19

Vermont 33 18 20 21

Michigan 34 34 35 34

South Carolina 35 45 40 38

Ohio 36 39 45 39

Massachusetts 37 26 18 14

Kentucky 38 43 46 47

Illinois 39 41 37 30

Rhode Island 40 22 21 13

Maine 41 44 22 22

West Virginia 42 48 48 48

Maryland 43 29 42 33

New Jersey 44 38 36 29

New Mexico 45 40 16 23

D.C. 46 46 38 3

New York 47 42 41 37

Pennsylvania 48 47 43 31

Nevada 49 49 49 49

Footnotes:

*Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from the rankings since life expectancy was not calculated in 1970 for these two states.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

44
Table 5. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Males: 1960 to 1990

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Florida 1 1 1 1

Kansas 2 9 9 14

North Dakota 3 2 2 5

Arkansas 4 13 21 33

New Mexico 5 8 5 4

South Dakota 6 5 8 12

Colorado 7 10 11 8

Nebraska 8 7 10 19

Idaho 9 3 6 6

Utah 10 4 4 2

Minnesota 11 6 7 10

Oklahoma 12 19 25 37

Iowa 13 15 13 17

Kentucky 14 23 40 48

Texas 15 18 22 25

Mississippi 16 38 37 47

Wyoming 17 20 19 18

Oregon 18 11 14 16

Tennessee 19 24 29 44

Wisconsin 20 14 17 20

Washington 21 22 12 9

Alabama 22 30 39 43

West Virginia 23 36 43 49

California 24 16 15 13

Missouri 25 25 31 29

Arizona 26 12 3 3

North Carolina 27 27 34 38

Montana 28 17 16 15

Georgia 29 47 45 46

Indiana 30 34 38 39

Virginia 31 35 41 34

Ohio 32 39 46 40

Connecticut 33 21 20 11

Louisiana 34 45 47 45

Michigan 35 32 35 30

Maine 36 43 26 35

Vermont 37 40 30 27

Illinois 38 37 36 31

Massachusetts 39 29 24 21

Delaware 40 48 48 32

Rhode Island 41 26 32 23

D.C. 42 28 18 7

New Hampshire 43 42 23 26

New York 44 31 27 22

New Jersey 45 33 33 24

Pennsylvania 46 44 44 36

South Carolina 47 49 49 42

Maryland 48 46 42 28

Nevada 49 41 28 41

Footnotes:

*Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from the rankings since life expectancy was not calculated in 1970 for these two states.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

45
Table 6. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Females: 1960 to 1990

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Florida 1 1 3 4

Oklahoma 2 15 20 41

Arizona 3 6 8 10

Texas 4 16 19 23

Arkansas 5 14 16 27

Kansas 6 5 5 8

Idaho 7 11 9 11

Nebraska 8 4 6 7

South Dakota 9 2 1 2

Oregon 10 9 12 20

Colorado 11 13 10 16

Iowa 12 7 4 6

California 13 18 26 26

Utah 14 19 13 9

Minnesota 15 8 2 5

North Dakota 16 3 7 1

Washington 17 20 14 19

Wyoming 18 10 21 18

Georgia 19 26 34 38

Mississippi 20 29 33 34

D.C. 21 17 18 3

New Mexico 22 21 11 17

Missouri 23 30 27 21

Nevada 24 45 43 49

Alabama 25 25 31 36

Montana 26 12 23 15

Tennessee 27 27 24 31

North Carolina 28 24 17 24

Louisiana 29 35 45 45

Kentucky 30 33 40 46

Virginia 31 28 35 35

Wisconsin 32 22 15 14

Indiana 33 38 39 39

South Carolina 34 42 36 33

Vermont 35 32 25 25

West Virginia 36 47 46 48

New Hampshire 37 37 30 30

Maine 38 39 29 29

Michigan 39 34 37 37

Connecticut 40 23 22 12

Ohio 41 43 47 44

Illinois 42 44 38 28

Massachusetts 43 31 32 22

Delaware 44 40 44 47

Rhode Island 45 36 28 13

Maryland 46 41 42 43

New Jersey 47 48 48 40

New York 48 46 41 32

Pennsylvania 49 49 49 42

Footnotes:

*Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from the rankings since life expectancy was not calculated in 1970 for these two states.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

46
Table 7. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Birth for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

Panel A. Males

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Michigan 1 5 7 14

Arkansas 2 1 4 10

Ohio 3 3 5 4

Indiana 4 2 3 2

Pennsylvania 5 13 10 13

Louisiana 6 7 15 17

Mississippi 7 9 9 11

Tennessee 8 4 8 8

D.C. 9 14 18 18

Missouri 10 12 11 7

Alabama 11 10 12 12

Maryland 12 6 1 5

Virginia 13 8 2 1

Kentucky 14 11 6 3

Florida 15 15 13 6

North Carolina 16 16 14 9

Georgia 17 17 16 15

South Carolina 18 18 17 16

Panel B. Females

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Michigan 1 3 10 14

Arkansas 2 1 1 8

Ohio 3 2 8 3

Indiana 4 4 4 6

D.C. 5 6 17 18

Pennsylvania 6 7 13 12

Louisiana 7 10 14 17

Mississippi 8 14 6 11

Missouri 9 8 7 9

Tennessee 10 11 9 15

Maryland 11 5 2 2

North Carolina 12 13 3 5

Kentucky 13 15 12 4

Virginia 14 9 5 1

Florida 15 16 16 7

Alabama 16 12 11 10

Georgia 17 17 18 13

South Carolina 18 18 15 16

Footnotes:

*States are ranked for Nonwhite Life Expectancy only if 80% or more of the Nonwhite Census population was 

reported as Black in the corresponding census year.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

47
Table 8. Rankings of State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

Panel A. Males

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Florida 1 6 9 4

Arkansas 2 1 1 2

Michigan 3 2 3 1

Mississippi 4 3 2 5

South Carolina 5 4 7 16

Alabama 6 5 6 11

Georgia 7 9 15 17

Louisiana 8 10 8 12

Tennessee 9 12 10 18

North Carolina 10 14 12 14

Ohio 11 11 11 3

Indiana 12 7 4 8

Missouri 13 8 5 7

Pennsylvania 14 15 13 6

Virginia 15 16 14 10

Kentucky 16 18 17 15

D.C. 17 17 18 13

Maryland 18 13 16 9

Panel B. Females

State*

Year

1960 1970 1980 1990

Florida 1 2 6 1

Arkansas 2 1 1 4

Georgia 3 5 15 14

South Carolina 4 4 8 16

Michigan 5 3 3 10

Louisiana 6 18 18 17

Mississippi 7 9 5 7

Alabama 8 10 7 6

Ohio 9 7 11 8

Missouri 10 6 9 12

North Carolina 11 11 2 3

Indiana 12 8 4 9

Pennsylvania 13 12 10 15

Tennessee 14 13 12 18

Kentucky 15 17 17 13

Virginia 16 14 16 5

D.C. 17 15 13 2

Maryland 18 16 14 11

Footnotes:

*States are ranked for Nonwhite Life Expectancy only if 80% or more of the Nonwhite Census population was 

reported as Black in the corresponding census year.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

48
State Estimated Slope State Estimated Slope

Arkansas 1.33 Oklahoma 1.14

Mississippi 1.34 Arkansas 1.21

Oklahoma 1.35 Louisiana 1.45

Kentucky 1.43 Georgia 1.48

Tennessee 1.46 Mississippi 1.48

Alabama 1.53 Texas 1.52

Texas 1.53 Alabama 1.53

West Virginia 1.55 Kentucky 1.57

Missouri 1.63 Delaware 1.59

Louisiana 1.64 Kansas 1.62

New York 1.67 California 1.64

Kansas 1.70 West Virginia 1.66

Indiana 1.72 Florida 1.67

Nebraska 1.72 Tennessee 1.69

Ohio 1.74 Nebraska 1.69

California 1.74 North Carolina 1.69

Georgia 1.75 Missouri 1.70

Delaware 1.81 Oregon 1.71

United States 1.84 Indiana 1.72

Iowa 1.87 Washington 1.74

Florida 1.87 Ohio 1.75

Rhode Island 1.90 Idaho 1.77

Michigan 1.90 Virginia 1.79

North Carolina 1.91 Wyoming 1.80

Wisconsin 1.94 South Carolina 1.81

Illinois 1.95 Michigan 1.82

North Dakota 1.96 United States 1.85

New Jersey 1.99 Iowa 1.87

Oregon 1.99 Utah 1.88

Connecticut 1.99 Nevada 1.89

Pennsylvania 2.01 Maryland 1.96

South Carolina 2.02 Vermont 1.96

Virginia 2.03 Illinois 1.97

South Dakota 2.05 Montana 1.99

Idaho 2.05 Arizona 1.99

New Mexico 2.08 Colorado 2.00

Minnesota 2.09 Wisconsin 2.00

Massachusetts 2.10 New York 2.00

Utah 2.15 Minnesota 2.02

Washington 2.17 New Hampshire 2.03

Maryland 2.18 Connecticut 2.05

Colorado 2.18 New Jersey 2.06

Maine 2.19 North Dakota 2.06

Vermont 2.22 Massachusetts 2.11

D.C. 2.30 South Dakota 2.11

New Hampshire 2.32 Pennsylvania 2.14

Nevada 2.36 Rhode Island 2.17

Wyoming 2.38 Maine 2.18

Arizona 2.48 New Mexico 2.20

Montana 2.52 D.C. 2.63

Footnotes:

*Slope estimates are calculated using the least squares method.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-

1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-

81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

Table 9. Slope Estimates* for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at Birth by States for White Males 

and Females: 1960 to 1990

White Males White Females

49
State Estimated Slope State Estimated Slope

Kentucky 0.29 Oklahoma 0.66

West Virginia 0.35 Nevada 0.73

Mississippi 0.36 Arkansas 0.79

Arkansas 0.41 Texas 0.81

Oklahoma 0.45 California 0.89

Tennessee 0.46 Georgia 0.90

Alabama 0.48 Kentucky 0.91

Georgia 0.56 Louisiana 0.93

North Carolina 0.60 Mississippi 0.94

Texas 0.61 Oregon 0.96

Louisiana 0.63 Alabama 0.97

Nebraska 0.63 Florida 0.98

Kansas 0.65 West Virginia 0.98

Indiana 0.66 Arizona 0.99

Missouri 0.66 Wyoming 1.01

Ohio 0.67 Colorado 1.03

Virginia 0.70 Tennessee 1.04

South Dakota 0.71 Idaho 1.05

Iowa 0.73 Washington 1.05

Colorado 0.75 Delaware 1.05

Wisconsin 0.76 Indiana 1.06

Wyoming 0.76 Virginia 1.07

North Dakota 0.77 Kansas 1.07

Florida 0.77 Ohio 1.08

Oregon 0.78 Missouri 1.09

Minnesota 0.78 North Carolina 1.09

Idaho 0.79 Nebraska 1.09

United States 0.81 Montana 1.11

New Mexico 0.81 South Carolina 1.13

Michigan 0.81 Michigan 1.13

South Carolina 0.83 United States 1.14

Maine 0.83 New Mexico 1.15

Illinois 0.83 Utah 1.16

Delaware 0.84 Vermont 1.18

California 0.87 New Hampshire 1.19

Vermont 0.87 Iowa 1.19

Pennsylvania 0.88 Maryland 1.19

Montana 0.89 Maine 1.20

Utah 0.91 Illinois 1.21

Nevada 0.92 New Jersey 1.26

Rhode Island 0.93 Minnesota 1.27

Washington 0.93 Wisconsin 1.27

New Hampshire 0.94 Massachusetts 1.28

New Jersey 0.94 Pennsylvania 1.33

Massachusetts 0.95 South Dakota 1.33

Maryland 0.97 New York 1.35

New York 0.98 D.C. 1.35

Connecticut 1.00 Connecticut 1.36

Arizona 1.04 North Dakota 1.38

D.C. 1.17 Rhode Island 1.47

Footnotes:

*Slope estimates are calculated using the least squares method.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971. 

National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National 

Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

White Males White Females

Table 10. Slope Estimates* for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at Age 65 by States for 

White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

50
Table 11. Slope Estimates* for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at Birth by States for Nonwhite 

Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

Nonwhite Males Nonwhite Females

State Estimated Slope State Estimated Slope

D.C. -0.54 D.C. 2.02

Michigan 0.51 Michigan 2.12

Arkansas 0.81 Arkansas 2.46

Louisiana 1.18 Louisiana 2.63

Pennsylvania 1.37 Pennsylvania 2.66

Tennessee 1.44 Ohio 2.68

Mississippi 1.45 Indiana 2.70

Ohio 1.68 Mississippi 2.95

Missouri 1.73 Tennessee 2.99

Alabama 1.74 Missouri 2.99

Indiana 1.81 United States 3.17

18 States** 2.04 Florida 3.26

United States 2.11 Georgia 3.27

Florida 2.12 Alabama 3.32

Georgia 2.22 18 States** 3.32

North Carolina 2.25 North Carolina 3.34

Maryland 2.33 Kentucky 3.36

Kentucky 2.54 Maryland 3.44

South Carolina 2.59 Virginia 3.57

Virginia 2.60 South Carolina 3.60

Footnotes:

*Slope estimates are calculated using the least squares method.

**Slope estimates for the mean for 18 selected states, weighted by corresponding Nonwhite Census population.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table 

Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. 

Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-

91, State Life Tables.

51
Table 12. Slope Estimates* for Linear Fit of 10-Year Changes in Life Expectancy at Age 65 by States for 

Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

Nonwhite Males Nonwhite Females

State Estimated Slope State Estimated Slope

Florida 0.04 Georgia 0.52

Georgia 0.07 Florida 0.54

South Carolina 0.07 South Carolina 0.55

Arkansas 0.07 Arkansas 0.65

Tennessee 0.15 Louisiana 0.76

Alabama 0.16 Michigan 0.79

Louisiana 0.21 Tennessee 0.90

North Carolina 0.22 Ohio 0.90

Mississippi 0.23 Missouri 0.91

Michigan 0.25 Mississippi 0.93

18 States** 0.31 Alabama 0.93

Ohio 0.42 18 States** 0.94

Indiana 0.43 Pennsylvania 0.96

Missouri 0.43 Indiana 1.00

Kentucky 0.43 United States 1.03

Pennsylvania 0.44 Kentucky 1.06

United States 0.48 North Carolina 1.08

Virginia 0.49 Virginia 1.15

Maryland 0.54 Maryland 1.22

D.C. 0.55 D.C. 1.28

Footnotes:

*Slope estimates are calculated using the least squares method.

**Slope estimates for the mean for 18 selected states, weighted by corresponding Nonwhite Census population.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States LifeTable Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, 

U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables 

for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

52
Table 13. Coefficients of Variation in Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 within Census Regions 

or Divisions for White Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

(leading dots indicate sub-parts)

Region

Northeast Midwest West

South*

South 

Atlantic

South 

Central

Life Expectancy at Birth

.White Males

..1960 0.007 0.009 0.017 0.011 0.007

..1970 0.009 0.011 0.015 0.013 0.009

..1980 0.005 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.006

..1990 0.008 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.006

.White Females

..1960 0.005 0.009 0.009 0.010 0.007

..1970 0.007 0.011 0.010 0.009 0.006

..1980 0.005 0.011 0.008 0.006 0.005

..1990 0.005 0.011 0.008 0.011 0.004

Life Expectancy at Age 65

.White Males

..1960 0.010 0.033 0.033 0.046 0.022

..1970 0.016 0.035 0.026 0.045 0.024

..1980 0.013 0.035 0.020 0.041 0.018

..1990 0.016 0.026 0.025 0.047 0.021

.White Females

..1960 0.018 0.028 0.012 0.037 0.025

..1970 0.017 0.033 0.019 0.032 0.019

..1980 0.017 0.031 0.016 0.024 0.015

..1990 0.014 0.032 0.022 0.035 0.011

Footnotes:

*The South Region is divided into the South Atlantic and South Central Divisions since preliminary 

evaluations show that states in these two division have different trends in mortality changes. Also, 

the number of states is an element for the calculation of the coefficient of variation and the results 

are more comparable with the South Region divided since the number of states in the two divisions 

are more similar to the number of states in the other three Census Regions.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United 

States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life 

Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health 

Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

53
Figure 2. State Life Expectancy at Birth for White Males in the Midwest Region: 1960 

676869707172737475

1960 1970 1980 

Year

Life Expectancy (years) Minnes

North DSouth WisconIowaNebrasKansasMichigIllinoisUnited OhioIndianaMissou

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 190

State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . NCHS, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91
Figure 3. State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for White Females in the South Central Di

1960 to 1990

151617181920

1960 1970 1980 

Year

Life Expectancy (in years) 

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 19

State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . NCHS, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-9
Table 14. Coefficients of Variation in Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 within Census 

Regions or Divisions for Nonwhite Males and Females: 1960 to 1990

Region

Midwest

Midwest 

and 

Northeast* South

South**

South 

Atlantic

South 

Central

Life Expectancy at Birth

.Nonwhite Males

..1960 0.020 0.019 0.024 0.019 0.017

..1970 0.014 0.016 0.018 0.014 0.013

..1980 0.009 0.009 0.017 0.020 0.010

..1990 0.015 0.016 0.032 0.042 0.012

.Nonwhite Females

..1960 0.011 0.010 0.015 0.014 0.013

..1970 0.007 0.008 0.010 0.009 0.010

..1980 0.002 0.003 0.009 0.009 0.007

..1990 0.006 0.006 0.011 0.014 0.005

Life Expectancy at Age 65

.Nonwhite Males

..1960 0.030 0.028 0.050 0.056 0.039

..1970 0.014 0.020 0.040 0.028 0.047

..1980 0.014 0.019 0.029 0.016 0.032

..1990 0.012 0.011 0.019 0.017 0.021

.Nonwhite Females

..1960 0.013 0.014 0.051 0.061 0.035

..1970 0.013 0.016 0.029 0.029 0.029

..1980 0.008 0.007 0.016 0.013 0.019

..1990 0.000 0.004 0.016 0.013 0.017

Footnotes:

*Midwest and Northeast adds Pennsylvania to the calculations for the Midwest since 

Pennsylvania is the only state from the Northeast selected for analysis with the criteria that 80% 

of the Nonwhite population reported as Black in the corresponding censuses.

**The South Region is divided into the South Atlantic and South Central Divisions since 

preliminary evaluations show that states in these two division have different trends in mortality 

changes. Also, the number of states is an element for the calculation of the coefficient of 

variation and the results are more comparable with the South Region divided since the number 

of states in the two divisions are more similar to the number of states in the other three Census 

Regions.

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United 

States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971. National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life 

Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81. National Center for Health 

Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

56
Figure 4. State Life Expectancy at Birth for Nonwhite Females in the South Central D

1960 to 1990

646566676869707172737475

1960 1970 1980 

Year

Life Expectancy (in years) Weighted U

KentuckyArkansasAlabamaMississippiTennesseeLouisiana

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 190

State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . NCHS, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91
Figure 5. State Life Expectancy at Age 65 for Nonwhite Females in the South Atla

Division: 1960 to 1990

131415161718

1960 1970 1980 

Year

Life Expectancy (in years) Florida D.C.

North CarolinWeighted U.VirginiaMarylandGeorgiaSouth Caroli

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1

State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . NCHS, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, S
Appendix A-1. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1959-1961

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 67.55 - 74.19 - 61.48 - 66.47 -

Alabama 67.06 -0.49 74.59 0.40 60.28 -1.20 64.72 -1.75

Alaska 66.59 -0.96 73.76 -0.43

Arizona 65.99 -1.56 74.22 0.03

Arkansas 68.06 0.51 75.63 1.44 63.33 1.85 67.44 0.97

California 67.73 0.18 74.62 0.43 66.60 5.12 71.42 4.95

Colorado 67.71 0.16 74.42 0.23

Connecticut 68.42 0.87 74.39 0.20

Delaware 67.68 0.13 74.05 -0.14

D.C. 65.42 -2.13 73.34 -0.85 60.99 -0.49 66.58 0.11

Florida 67.93 0.38 75.71 1.52 59.95 -1.53 65.06 -1.41

Georgia 66.75 -0.80 74.90 0.71 58.71 -2.77 64.39 -2.08

Hawaii 69.95 2.40 72.37 -1.82 70.69 9.21 74.81 8.34

Idaho 68.15 0.60 75.01 0.82

Illinois 67.31 -0.24 73.78 -0.41 61.48 0.00 66.20 -0.27

Indiana 67.68 0.13 74.19 0.00 62.16 0.68 66.87 0.40

Iowa 68.81 1.26 75.41 1.22

Kansas 68.97 1.42 75.66 1.47

Kentucky 67.16 -0.39 73.87 -0.32 60.01 -1.47 65.22 -1.25

Louisiana 66.58 -0.97 74.47 0.28 61.40 -0.08 66.13 -0.34

Maine 66.86 -0.69 73.53 -0.66

Maryland 66.94 -0.61 73.47 -0.72 60.23 -1.25 65.35 -1.12

Massachusetts 67.55 0.00 73.91 -0.28

Michigan 67.70 0.15 73.98 -0.21 64.25 2.77 67.89 1.42

Minnesota 68.86 1.31 75.30 1.11

Mississippi 67.30 -0.25 74.81 0.62 61.35 -0.13 65.96 -0.51

Missouri 67.94 0.39 74.76 0.57 60.72 -0.76 65.79 -0.68

Montana 66.47 -1.08 74.17 -0.02

Nebraska 69.08 1.53 75.68 1.49

Nevada 64.55 -3.00 72.68 -1.51

New Hampshire 67.05 -0.50 74.04 -0.15

New Jersey 67.64 0.09 73.43 -0.76 61.45 -0.03 66.47 0.00

New Mexico 66.77 -0.78 73.39 -0.80

New York 67.39 -0.16 73.31 -0.88 60.77 -0.71 67.15 0.68

North Carolina 66.94 -0.61 74.74 0.55 59.09 -2.39 65.33 -1.14

North Dakota 69.16 1.61 75.33 1.14

Ohio 67.74 0.19 73.92 -0.27 62.39 0.91 67.12 0.65

Oklahoma 67.95 0.40 75.44 1.25 62.92 1.44 68.05 1.58

Oregon 67.62 0.07 74.89 0.70

Pennsylvania 67.04 -0.51 73.13 -1.06 61.67 0.19 66.49 0.02

Rhode Island 67.83 0.28 73.68 -0.51

South Carolina 65.97 -1.58 73.93 -0.26 57.27 -4.21 63.40 -3.07

South Dakota 68.35 0.80 75.56 1.37

Tennessee 67.49 -0.06 74.38 0.19 61.28 -0.20 65.41 -1.06

Texas 67.79 0.24 75.15 0.96 62.30 0.82 67.33 0.86

Utah 68.79 1.24 75.04 0.85

Vermont 66.95 -0.60 74.02 -0.17

Virginia 67.20 -0.35 74.37 0.18 60.17 -1.31 65.14 -1.33

Washington 67.92 0.37 74.90 0.71

West Virginia 66.55 -1.00 73.50 -0.69

Wisconsin 68.45 0.90 74.56 0.37

Wyoming 66.62 -0.93 74.47 0.28

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971.

White Nonwhite

State

59
Appendix A-2. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1969-1971

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 67.94 - 75.49 - 60.98 - 69.05 -

Alabama 66.56 -1.38 75.64 0.15 59.86 -1.12 67.83 -1.22

Alaska

Arizona 67.46 -0.48 75.59 0.10

Arkansas 67.58 -0.36 76.26 0.77 62.01 1.03 69.67 0.62

California 68.41 0.47 75.60 0.11 66.81 5.83 73.73 4.68

Colorado 68.53 0.59 76.04 0.55

Connecticut 69.45 1.51 76.33 0.84 63.68 2.70 70.57 1.52

Delaware 67.66 -0.28 75.37 -0.12

D.C. 66.08 -1.86 74.76 -0.73 58.96 -2.02 68.34 -0.71

Florida 68.15 0.21 76.41 0.92 58.89 -2.09 67.25 -1.80

Georgia 66.18 -1.76 75.38 -0.11 58.59 -2.39 67.10 -1.95

Hawaii 71.08 10.10 76.93 7.88

Idaho 68.31 0.37 76.22 0.73

Illinois 67.66 -0.28 74.95 -0.54 59.46 -1.52 68.03 -1.02

Indiana 67.65 -0.29 75.18 -0.31 61.89 0.91 68.98 -0.07

Iowa 68.91 0.97 76.57 1.08

Kansas 69.11 1.17 76.84 1.35

Kentucky 66.74 -1.20 74.91 -0.58 59.81 -1.17 67.57 -1.48

Louisiana 66.55 -1.39 75.17 -0.32 60.65 -0.33 68.05 -1.00

Maine 67.25 -0.69 74.83 -0.66

Maryland 67.83 -0.11 75.42 -0.07 60.67 -0.31 68.81 -0.24

Massachusetts 68.33 0.39 75.58 0.09 63.22 2.24 72.32 3.27

Michigan 67.99 0.05 75.24 -0.25 60.95 -0.03 69.28 0.23

Minnesota 69.46 1.52 76.87 1.38

Mississippi 66.14 -1.80 75.32 -0.17 60.17 -0.81 67.78 -1.27

Missouri 67.79 -0.15 75.50 0.01 59.55 -1.43 68.21 -0.84

Montana 67.16 -0.78 75.56 0.07

Nebraska 69.12 1.18 76.92 1.43

Nevada 66.02 -1.92 73.73 -1.76

New Hampshire 67.46 -0.48 75.17 -0.32

New Jersey 68.56 0.62 75.16 -0.33 60.09 -0.89 68.82 -0.23

New Mexico 67.29 -0.65 75.07 -0.42

New York 68.04 0.10 74.94 -0.55 60.39 -0.59 69.67 0.62

North Carolina 66.76 -1.18 75.71 0.22 58.82 -2.16 67.80 -1.25

North Dakota 69.55 1.61 77.28 1.79

Ohio 67.90 -0.04 75.11 -0.38 61.34 0.36 69.52 0.47

Oklahoma 67.83 -0.11 76.15 0.66 63.47 2.49 72.25 3.20

Oregon 68.51 0.57 76.25 0.76

Pennsylvania 67.71 -0.23 74.69 -0.80 59.42 -1.56 68.25 -0.80

Rhode Island 68.50 0.56 75.62 0.13

South Carolina 66.11 -1.83 74.82 -0.67 58.33 -2.65 67.01 -2.04

South Dakota 69.41 1.47 77.03 1.54

Tennessee 67.07 -0.87 75.61 0.12 61.09 0.11 67.86 -1.19

Texas 67.85 -0.09 75.88 0.39 61.71 0.73 69.47 0.42

Utah 69.54 1.60 76.60 1.11

Vermont 67.75 -0.19 75.75 0.26

Virginia 67.72 -0.22 75.72 0.23 60.36 -0.62 68.19 -0.86

Washington 68.29 0.35 75.99 0.50

West Virginia 65.84 -2.10 74.04 -1.45

Wisconsin 69.32 1.38 76.20 0.71

Wyoming 66.34 -1.60 75.40 -0.09

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971 .

State

White Nonwhite

60
Appendix A-3. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1979-1981

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 70.82 - 78.22 - 65.63 - 74.00 -

Alabama 69.67 -1.15 78.15 -0.07 63.76 -1.87 73.05 -0.95

Alaska 69.99 -0.83 77.93 -0.29

Arizona 71.08 0.26 78.66 0.44 64.63 -1.00 75.04 1.04

Arkansas 70.46 -0.36 78.59 0.37 65.51 -0.12 74.16 0.16

California 71.18 0.36 78.12 -0.10 70.86 5.23 77.81 3.81

Colorado 71.84 1.02 78.89 0.67 70.74 5.11 77.32 3.32

Connecticut 71.90 1.08 78.86 0.64 67.13 1.50 75.55 1.55

Delaware 70.53 -0.29 77.59 -0.63 64.93 -0.70 73.15 -0.85

D.C. 71.24 0.42 77.88 -0.34 62.10 -3.53 72.19 -1.81

Florida 71.10 0.28 78.86 0.64 63.76 -1.87 72.41 -1.59

Georgia 69.56 -1.26 78.01 -0.21 63.41 -2.22 72.06 -1.94

Hawaii 73.04 2.22 79.81 1.59 74.57 8.94 80.72 6.72

Idaho 71.58 0.76 79.19 0.97

Illinois 70.57 -0.25 77.96 -0.26 64.32 -1.31 72.99 -1.01

Indiana 70.57 -0.25 77.82 -0.40 65.53 -0.10 73.54 -0.46

Iowa 72.09 1.27 79.64 1.42

Kansas 71.85 1.03 79.26 1.04 67.87 2.24 74.75 0.75

Kentucky 69.46 -1.36 77.46 -0.76 64.90 -0.73 72.93 -1.07

Louisiana 69.20 -1.62 77.42 -0.80 63.63 -2.00 72.48 -1.52

Maine 70.77 -0.05 78.39 0.17

Maryland 70.86 0.04 77.73 -0.49 65.89 0.26 73.81 -0.19

Massachusetts 71.38 0.56 78.54 0.32 69.60 3.97 77.51 3.51

Michigan 70.94 0.12 77.99 -0.23 64.73 -0.90 73.17 -0.83

Minnesota 72.63 1.81 79.90 1.68

Mississippi 69.26 -1.56 78.09 -0.13 64.19 -1.44 73.40 -0.60

Missouri 70.64 -0.18 78.29 0.07 64.02 -1.61 73.29 -0.71

Montana 71.00 0.18 78.19 -0.03

Nebraska 71.97 1.15 79.53 1.31

Nevada 69.52 -1.30 76.72 -1.50

New Hampshire 71.39 0.57 78.38 0.16

New Jersey 71.25 0.43 77.99 -0.23 65.73 0.10 73.90 -0.10

New Mexico 70.46 -0.36 78.63 0.41 65.32 -0.31 76.12 2.12

New York 70.90 0.08 77.80 -0.42 65.58 -0.05 74.26 0.26

North Carolina 70.02 -0.80 78.53 0.31 63.66 -1.97 73.58 -0.42

North Dakota 72.45 1.63 79.95 1.73

Ohio 70.42 -0.40 77.53 -0.69 65.16 -0.47 73.24 -0.76

Oklahoma 69.90 -0.92 78.07 -0.15 67.63 2.00 76.26 2.26

Oregon 71.41 0.59 78.79 0.57

Pennsylvania 70.52 -0.30 77.64 -0.58 64.07 -1.56 72.93 -1.07

Rhode Island 71.06 0.24 78.45 0.23

South Carolina 69.40 -1.42 77.81 -0.41 62.96 -2.67 72.47 -1.53

South Dakota 72.07 1.25 80.07 1.85

Tennessee 69.99 -0.83 78.31 0.09 64.37 -1.26 73.19 -0.81

Texas 70.30 -0.52 78.22 0.00 65.40 -0.23 74.05 0.05

Utah 72.42 1.60 79.22 1.00

Vermont 71.03 0.21 78.47 0.25

Virginia 70.54 -0.28 78.28 0.06 65.76 0.13 73.49 -0.51

Washington 71.86 1.04 78.64 0.42 70.18 4.55 77.83 3.83

West Virginia 68.99 -1.83 77.09 -1.13 65.03 -0.60 72.88 -1.12

Wisconsin 72.05 1.23 79.05 0.83 67.53 1.90 74.83 0.83

Wyoming 70.15 -0.67 78.39 0.17

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 . 

State

White Nonwhite

61
Appendix A-4. Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex and Race: 1989-1991

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 72.72 - 79.45 - 66.97 - 75.39 -

Alabama 71.12 -1.60 78.85 -0.60 64.79 -2.18 74.05 -1.34

Alaska 72.82 0.10 79.40 -0.05 67.65 0.68 76.17 0.78

Arizona 73.04 0.32 79.84 0.39 68.89 1.92 76.81 1.42

Arkansas 71.54 -1.18 78.89 -0.56 64.87 -2.10 74.13 -1.26

California 72.61 -0.11 79.26 -0.19 72.34 5.37 79.18 3.79

Colorado 73.88 1.16 80.13 0.68 72.63 5.66 78.61 3.22

Connecticut 74.25 1.53 80.37 0.92 67.82 0.85 76.61 1.22

Delaware 72.75 0.03 78.62 -0.83 66.39 -0.58 73.63 -1.76

D.C. 71.36 -1.36 81.06 1.61 58.14 -8.83 72.03 -3.36

Florida 73.19 0.47 80.46 1.01 65.40 -1.57 74.19 -1.20

Georgia 71.46 -1.26 78.94 -0.51 64.49 -2.48 73.65 -1.74

Hawaii 75.12 2.40 81.09 1.64 75.49 8.52 81.48 6.09

Idaho 73.90 1.18 79.93 0.48

Illinois 72.83 0.11 79.33 -0.12 64.58 -2.39 73.79 -1.60

Indiana 72.44 -0.28 79.03 -0.42 66.99 0.02 74.35 -1.04

Iowa 73.98 1.26 80.62 1.17

Kansas 73.72 1.00 80.25 0.80 69.25 2.28 76.26 0.87

Kentucky 71.01 -1.71 78.24 -1.21 66.78 -0.19 74.63 -0.76

Louisiana 71.15 -1.57 78.54 -0.91 64.33 -2.64 73.43 -1.96

Maine 72.98 0.26 79.61 0.16

Maryland 73.20 0.48 79.23 -0.22 66.27 -0.70 75.15 -0.24

Massachusetts 73.54 0.82 79.95 0.50 71.29 4.32 78.60 3.21

Michigan 73.06 0.34 79.14 -0.31 64.68 -2.29 73.65 -1.74

Minnesota 74.78 2.06 81.02 1.57 69.46 2.49 76.80 1.41

Mississippi 70.74 -1.98 78.82 -0.63 64.84 -2.13 73.91 -1.48

Missouri 72.43 -0.29 79.48 0.03 65.00 -1.97 74.07 -1.32

Montana 73.59 0.87 79.92 0.47

Nebraska 73.87 1.15 80.44 0.99 67.64 0.67 74.52 -0.87

Nevada 71.26 -1.46 77.99 -1.46 69.15 2.18 76.42 1.03

New Hampshire 73.48 0.76 79.74 0.29

New Jersey 73.37 0.65 79.34 -0.11 66.59 -0.38 74.66 -0.73

New Mexico 72.66 -0.06 79.53 0.08 68.97 2.00 77.93 2.54

New York 72.01 -0.71 79.03 -0.42 66.70 -0.27 75.97 0.58

North Carolina 72.21 -0.51 79.44 -0.01 64.96 -2.01 74.55 -0.84

North Dakota 74.74 2.02 81.32 1.87

Ohio 72.70 -0.02 78.95 -0.50 66.70 -0.27 74.82 -0.57

Oklahoma 71.76 -0.96 78.59 -0.86 71.17 4.20 78.21 2.82

Oregon 73.28 0.56 79.73 0.28 72.02 5.05 78.45 3.06

Pennsylvania 72.81 0.09 79.28 -0.17 64.69 -2.28 73.78 -1.61

Rhode Island 73.31 0.59 79.97 0.52

South Carolina 71.62 -1.10 78.97 -0.48 64.37 -2.60 73.57 -1.82

South Dakota 74.30 1.58 81.59 2.14

Tennessee 71.38 -1.34 79.10 -0.35 64.99 -1.98 73.59 -1.80

Texas 72.08 -0.64 79.42 -0.03 67.08 0.11 75.38 -0.01

Utah 75.00 2.28 80.44 0.99

Vermont 73.25 0.53 79.65 0.20

Virginia 73.04 0.32 79.48 0.03 67.03 0.06 75.27 -0.12

Washington 73.97 1.25 79.81 0.36 72.72 5.75 79.59 4.20

West Virginia 70.66 -2.06 78.02 -1.43 66.77 -0.20 75.46 0.07

Wisconsin 73.99 1.27 80.27 0.82 68.27 1.30 76.25 0.86

Wyoming 73.27 0.55 79.46 0.01

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

State

White Nonwhite

62
Appendix A-5. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1959-1961

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 12.97 - 15.88 - 12.84 - 15.12 -

Alabama 13.20 0.23 16.18 0.30 12.90 0.06 14.94 -0.18

Alaska 12.72 -0.25 15.36 -0.52

Arizona 13.12 0.15 16.87 0.99

Arkansas 13.83 0.86 16.84 0.96 13.62 0.78 15.93 0.81

California 13.19 0.22 16.52 0.64 13.91 1.07 16.29 1.17

Colorado 13.68 0.71 16.53 0.65

Connecticut 12.79 -0.18 15.59 -0.29

Delaware 12.58 -0.39 15.44 -0.44

D.C. 12.54 -0.43 16.29 0.41 11.65 -1.19 14.03 -1.09

Florida 14.34 1.37 17.39 1.51 13.67 0.83 16.33 1.21

Georgia 12.96 -0.01 16.36 0.48 12.76 -0.08 15.84 0.72

Hawaii 12.00 -0.97 14.95 -0.93 14.73 1.89 16.92 1.80

Idaho 13.67 0.70 16.69 0.81

Illinois 12.59 -0.38 15.53 -0.35 12.05 -0.79 14.38 -0.74

Indiana 12.93 -0.04 15.79 -0.09 12.21 -0.63 14.63 -0.49

Iowa 13.55 0.58 16.53 0.65

Kansas 13.85 0.88 16.79 0.91

Kentucky 13.48 0.51 15.92 0.04 11.92 -0.92 14.32 -0.80

Louisiana 12.74 -0.23 15.95 0.07 12.74 -0.10 14.99 -0.13

Maine 12.62 -0.35 15.65 -0.23

Maryland 12.23 -0.74 15.24 -0.64 11.65 -1.19 13.85 -1.27

Massachusetts 12.59 -0.38 15.48 -0.40

Michigan 12.68 -0.29 15.61 -0.27 13.11 0.27 15.17 0.05

Minnesota 13.57 0.60 16.43 0.55

Mississippi 13.43 0.46 16.33 0.45 12.97 0.13 14.96 -0.16

Missouri 13.17 0.20 16.19 0.31 12.21 -0.63 14.76 -0.36

Montana 13.07 0.10 16.18 0.30

Nebraska 13.68 0.71 16.69 0.81

Nevada 12.11 -0.86 16.19 0.31

New Hampshire 12.50 -0.47 15.67 -0.21

New Jersey 12.42 -0.55 15.14 -0.74 12.53 -0.31 14.63 -0.49

New Mexico 13.74 0.77 16.22 0.34

New York 12.43 -0.54 15.05 -0.83 12.50 -0.34 14.80 -0.32

North Carolina 13.12 0.15 16.05 0.17 12.53 -0.31 14.74 -0.38

North Dakota 13.85 0.88 16.43 0.55

Ohio 12.83 -0.14 15.57 -0.31 12.41 -0.43 14.86 -0.26

Oklahoma 13.57 0.60 17.01 1.13 13.96 1.12 15.68 0.56

Oregon 13.36 0.39 16.57 0.69

Pennsylvania 12.32 -0.65 14.96 -0.92 12.18 -0.66 14.61 -0.51

Rhode Island 12.55 -0.42 15.25 -0.63

South Carolina 12.32 -0.65 15.77 -0.11 12.96 0.12 15.69 0.57

South Dakota 13.74 0.77 16.64 0.76

Tennessee 13.30 0.33 16.10 0.22 12.66 -0.18 14.40 -0.72

Texas 13.46 0.49 16.86 0.98 13.67 0.83 16.31 1.19

Utah 13.67 0.70 16.44 0.56

Vermont 12.61 -0.36 15.76 -0.12

Virginia 12.90 -0.07 15.85 -0.03 11.96 -0.88 14.22 -0.90

Washington 13.24 0.27 16.38 0.50

West Virginia 13.20 0.23 15.70 -0.18

Wisconsin 13.25 0.28 15.85 -0.03

Wyoming 13.37 0.40 16.37 0.49

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971 .

State

White Nonwhite

63
Appendix A-6. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1969-1971

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 13.02 - 16.93 - 12.87 - 15.99 -

Alabama 12.79 -0.23 17.01 0.08 12.71 -0.16 15.49 -0.50

Alaska

Arizona 13.47 0.45 17.67 0.74

Arkansas 13.47 0.45 17.50 0.57 13.62 0.75 16.44 0.45

California 13.33 0.31 17.35 0.42 14.92 2.05 18.01 2.02

Colorado 13.67 0.65 17.56 0.63

Connecticut 13.19 0.17 17.05 0.12 14.31 1.44 17.17 1.18

Delaware 12.29 -0.73 16.56 -0.37

D.C. 12.80 -0.22 17.44 0.51 11.74 -1.13 15.18 -0.81

Florida 14.24 1.22 18.19 1.26 12.70 -0.17 16.28 0.29

Georgia 12.39 -0.63 17.00 0.07 12.62 -0.25 16.01 0.02

Hawaii 15.11 2.24 18.19 2.20

Idaho 13.84 0.82 17.59 0.66

Illinois 12.68 -0.34 16.50 -0.43 12.45 -0.42 15.37 -0.62

Indiana 12.71 -0.31 16.63 -0.30 12.70 -0.17 15.61 -0.38

Iowa 13.40 0.38 17.63 0.70

Kansas 13.68 0.66 17.74 0.81

Kentucky 13.00 -0.02 16.71 -0.22 11.67 -1.20 15.14 -0.85

Louisiana 12.48 -0.54 16.70 -0.23 12.52 -0.35 15.11 -0.88

Maine 12.55 -0.47 16.59 -0.34

Maryland 12.45 -0.57 16.54 -0.39 12.33 -0.54 15.17 -0.82

Massachusetts 12.80 -0.22 16.88 -0.05 13.94 1.07 17.47 1.48

Michigan 12.76 -0.26 16.71 -0.22 12.97 0.10 16.17 0.18

Minnesota 13.74 0.72 17.61 0.68

Mississippi 12.68 -0.34 16.95 0.02 12.97 0.10 15.54 -0.45

Missouri 12.94 -0.08 16.95 0.02 12.69 -0.18 15.83 -0.16

Montana 13.33 0.31 17.57 0.64

Nebraska 13.73 0.71 17.89 0.96

Nevada 12.58 -0.44 16.48 -0.45

New Hampshire 12.56 -0.46 16.64 -0.29

New Jersey 12.73 -0.29 16.33 -0.60 12.45 -0.42 15.68 -0.31

New Mexico 13.70 0.68 17.18 0.25

New York 12.77 -0.25 16.36 -0.57 12.89 0.02 16.39 0.40

North Carolina 12.82 -0.20 17.05 0.12 12.33 -0.54 15.49 -0.50

North Dakota 13.85 0.83 17.92 0.99

Ohio 12.66 -0.36 16.51 -0.42 12.48 -0.39 15.81 -0.18

Oklahoma 13.23 0.21 17.49 0.56 14.02 1.15 17.85 1.86

Oregon 13.49 0.47 17.60 0.67

Pennsylvania 12.50 -0.52 16.08 -0.85 12.22 -0.65 15.42 -0.57

Rhode Island 12.83 -0.19 16.67 -0.26

South Carolina 12.21 -0.81 16.52 -0.41 12.74 -0.13 16.17 0.18

South Dakota 13.78 0.76 18.08 1.15

Tennessee 12.99 -0.03 16.99 0.06 12.37 -0.50 15.35 -0.64

Texas 13.30 0.28 17.47 0.54 13.27 0.40 16.45 0.46

Utah 13.82 0.80 17.34 0.41

Vermont 12.61 -0.41 16.83 -0.10

Virginia 12.71 -0.31 16.96 0.03 12.03 -0.84 15.21 -0.78

Washington 13.11 0.09 17.32 0.39

West Virginia 12.71 -0.31 16.35 -0.58

Wisconsin 13.42 0.40 17.13 0.20

Wyoming 13.20 0.18 17.60 0.67

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1975. Some Trends and Comparisons of United States Life-Table Data: 1900-1971 .

State

White Nonwhite

64
Appendix A-7. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1979-1981

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 14.26 - 18.55 - 13.83 - 17.60 -

Alabama 13.82 -0.44 18.52 -0.03 13.44 -0.39 17.33 -0.27

Alaska 13.54 -0.72 18.02 -0.53

Arizona 15.10 0.84 19.18 0.63 15.53 1.70 18.88 1.28

Arkansas 14.40 0.14 18.79 0.24 14.11 0.28 17.79 0.19

California 14.60 0.34 18.65 0.10 15.95 2.12 19.39 1.79

Colorado 14.75 0.49 19.10 0.55 15.32 1.49 19.38 1.78

Connecticut 14.41 0.15 18.72 0.17 14.48 0.65 18.50 0.90

Delaware 13.63 -0.63 18.07 -0.48 12.78 -1.05 17.57 -0.03

D.C. 14.46 0.20 18.77 0.22 12.84 -0.99 17.02 -0.58

Florida 15.45 1.19 19.48 0.93 13.38 -0.45 17.35 -0.25

Georgia 13.66 -0.60 18.49 -0.06 12.99 -0.84 16.94 -0.66

Hawaii 15.92 1.66 19.54 0.99 16.95 3.12 20.50 2.90

Idaho 14.98 0.72 19.18 0.63

Illinois 13.91 -0.35 18.24 -0.31 13.52 -0.31 17.09 -0.51

Indiana 13.85 -0.41 18.18 -0.37 13.61 -0.22 17.36 -0.24

Iowa 14.69 0.43 19.37 0.82

Kansas 14.85 0.59 19.37 0.82 14.29 0.46 17.66 0.06

Kentucky 13.82 -0.44 18.13 -0.42 12.85 -0.98 16.87 -0.73

Louisiana 13.64 -0.62 18.06 -0.49 13.40 -0.43 16.83 -0.77

Maine 14.13 -0.13 18.56 0.01

Maryland 13.74 -0.52 18.11 -0.44 12.94 -0.89 17.00 -0.60

Massachusetts 14.15 -0.11 18.51 -0.04 15.21 1.38 19.68 2.08

Michigan 13.93 -0.33 18.27 -0.28 13.67 -0.16 17.47 -0.13

Minnesota 14.98 0.72 19.51 0.96

Mississippi 13.86 -0.40 18.51 -0.04 13.99 0.16 17.36 -0.24

Missouri 14.06 -0.20 18.63 0.08 13.57 -0.26 17.22 -0.38

Montana 14.56 0.30 18.72 0.17

Nebraska 14.77 0.51 19.37 0.82

Nevada 14.10 -0.16 18.11 -0.44

New Hampshire 14.22 -0.04 18.56 0.01

New Jersey 14.00 -0.26 17.97 -0.58 13.42 -0.41 17.40 -0.20

New Mexico 15.04 0.78 19.06 0.51 16.40 2.57 19.94 2.34

New York 14.13 -0.13 18.12 -0.43 13.90 0.07 17.79 0.19

North Carolina 13.94 -0.32 18.79 0.24 13.17 -0.66 17.52 -0.08

North Dakota 15.19 0.93 19.37 0.82

Ohio 13.66 -0.60 18.02 -0.53 13.18 -0.65 17.13 -0.47

Oklahoma 14.14 -0.12 18.74 0.19 14.98 1.15 19.13 1.53

Oregon 14.68 0.42 19.04 0.49

Pennsylvania 13.67 -0.59 17.85 -0.70 13.06 -0.77 17.20 -0.40

Rhode Island 14.03 -0.23 18.58 0.03

South Carolina 13.51 -0.75 18.28 -0.27 13.44 -0.39 17.29 -0.31

South Dakota 14.98 0.72 19.73 1.18

Tennessee 14.07 -0.19 18.71 0.16 13.24 -0.59 17.09 -0.51

Texas 14.37 0.11 18.76 0.21 13.90 0.07 17.66 0.06

Utah 15.10 0.84 18.96 0.41

Vermont 14.07 -0.19 18.68 0.13

Virginia 13.79 -0.47 18.40 -0.15 13.04 -0.79 16.88 -0.72

Washington 14.75 0.49 18.90 0.35 15.46 1.63 19.51 1.91

West Virginia 13.68 -0.58 18.06 -0.49 13.31 -0.52 17.54 -0.06

Wisconsin 14.54 0.28 18.89 0.34 14.01 0.18 17.92 0.32

Wyoming 14.42 0.16 18.73 0.18

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1985-86. State Life Tables, Alabama-Wyoming, U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1979-81 .

State

White Nonwhite

65
Appendix A-8. Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Sex and Race: 1989-1991

Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Male

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy Female

Difference 

from U.S. 

Life 

Expectancy

United States 15.24 - 19.14 - 14.11 - 18.02 -

Alabama 14.47 -0.77 18.90 -0.24 13.19 -0.92 17.44 -0.58

Alaska 15.08 -0.16 18.51 -0.63 14.99 0.88 18.60 0.58

Arizona 16.04 0.80 19.67 0.53 14.99 0.88 18.57 0.55

Arkansas 14.89 -0.35 19.05 -0.09 13.69 -0.42 17.64 -0.38

California 15.66 0.42 19.06 -0.08 16.35 2.24 19.72 1.70

Colorado 15.83 0.59 19.44 0.30 16.05 1.94 19.64 1.62

Connecticut 15.73 0.49 19.56 0.42 14.76 0.65 19.01 0.99

Delaware 14.92 -0.32 18.44 -0.70 12.90 -1.21 16.57 -1.45

D.C. 15.87 0.63 20.34 1.20 13.12 -0.99 17.68 -0.34

Florida 16.50 1.26 20.21 1.07 13.57 -0.54 17.78 -0.24

Georgia 14.40 -0.84 18.85 -0.29 12.87 -1.24 17.25 -0.77

Hawaii 16.77 1.53 19.97 0.83 17.58 3.47 21.17 3.15

Idaho 15.91 0.67 19.65 0.51

Illinois 14.96 -0.28 18.98 -0.16 13.54 -0.57 17.47 -0.55

Indiana 14.74 -0.50 18.82 -0.32 13.33 -0.78 17.38 -0.64

Iowa 15.54 0.30 19.91 0.77

Kansas 15.63 0.39 19.80 0.66 14.32 0.21 18.23 0.21

Kentucky 14.18 -1.06 18.49 -0.65 12.96 -1.15 17.28 -0.74

Louisiana 14.44 -0.80 18.58 -0.56 13.13 -0.98 16.96 -1.06

Maine 14.87 -0.37 18.98 -0.16

Maryland 15.02 -0.22 18.68 -0.46 13.25 -0.86 17.32 -0.70

Massachusetts 15.29 0.05 19.20 0.06 15.91 1.80 19.81 1.79

Michigan 14.99 -0.25 18.87 -0.27 13.72 -0.39 17.37 -0.65

Minnesota 15.76 0.52 20.02 0.88 15.06 0.95 18.47 0.45

Mississippi 14.24 -1.00 18.94 -0.20 13.39 -0.72 17.44 -0.58

Missouri 15.01 -0.23 19.25 0.11 13.34 -0.77 17.32 -0.70

Montana 15.63 0.39 19.48 0.34

Nebraska 15.42 0.18 19.83 0.69 13.32 -0.79 17.36 -0.66

Nevada 14.68 -0.56 18.08 -1.06 15.51 1.40 18.44 0.42

New Hampshire 15.07 -0.17 18.98 -0.16

New Jersey 15.13 -0.11 18.80 -0.34 14.35 0.24 18.03 0.01

New Mexico 15.99 0.75 19.43 0.29 16.33 2.22 19.73 1.71

New York 15.24 0.00 18.95 -0.19 14.84 0.73 18.75 0.73

North Carolina 14.75 -0.49 19.10 -0.04 12.99 -1.12 17.67 -0.35

North Dakota 15.96 0.72 20.54 1.40

Ohio 14.73 -0.51 18.68 -0.46 13.58 -0.53 17.43 -0.59

Oklahoma 14.77 -0.47 18.80 -0.34 15.68 1.57 19.59 1.57

Oregon 15.55 0.31 19.29 0.15 15.79 1.68 18.94 0.92

Pennsylvania 14.87 -0.37 18.79 -0.35 13.38 -0.73 17.21 -0.81

Rhode Island 15.24 0.00 19.50 0.36

South Carolina 14.65 -0.59 18.95 -0.19 12.96 -1.15 17.15 -0.87

South Dakota 15.72 0.48 20.51 1.37

Tennessee 14.46 -0.78 18.98 -0.16 12.87 -1.24 16.82 -1.20

Texas 15.12 -0.12 19.12 -0.02 13.87 -0.24 17.94 -0.08

Utah 16.26 1.02 19.75 0.61

Vermont 15.03 -0.21 19.07 -0.07

Virginia 14.88 -0.36 18.92 -0.22 13.24 -0.87 17.49 -0.53

Washington 15.80 0.56 19.35 0.21 16.21 2.10 20.26 2.24

West Virginia 14.04 -1.20 18.38 -0.76 13.18 -0.93 18.29 0.27

Wisconsin 15.40 0.16 19.49 0.35 14.67 0.56 18.24 0.22

Wyoming 15.49 0.25 19.37 0.23

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1998. U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, State Life Tables.

State

White Nonwhite

66
May 8, 2003 

POPULATION DIVISION WORKING PAPER SERIES

For copies of these working papers, please contact the Statistical Information Staff, Population 

Division, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233-8800 (301)763-2422/pop@census.gov 

No. 1 - The Census Bureau Approach for Allocating International Migration to States, 

Counties, and Places: 1981-1991. David L. Word. October 1992. 

No. 2 - Geographic Coding of Administrative Records--Past Experience and Current 

Research. Douglas K.Sater. April 1993. 

No. 3 - Postcensal Population Estimates: States, Counties, and Places. John F. Long. 

August 1993. 

No. 4 - Evaluating the Passel-Word Spanish Surname List: 1990 Decennial Census Post 

Enumeration Survey Results. R. Colby Perkins. August 1993. 

No. 5 - Evaluation of Postcensal County Estimates for the 1980s. Sam T. Davis. 

March 1994. 

No. 6 - Metropolitan Growth and Expansion in the 1980s. Richard L. Forstall and James D. 

Fitzsimmons. April 1993. 

No. 7 - Geographic Coding of Administrative Records -- Current Research in ZIP/Sector-toCounty Coding Process. Douglas K. Sater. June 1994. 

No. 8 - Illustrative Ranges of the Distribution of Undocumented Immigrants by State. 

Edward W. Fernandez and J. Gregory Robinson. October 1994. 

No. 9 - Estimates of Emigration of the Foreign-Born Population: 1980-l990. Bashir Ahmed 

and J. Gregory Robinson. December 1994. 

No. 10 - Estimation of the Annual Emigration of U.S. Born Persons by Using Foreign 

Censuses and Selected Administrative Data: Circa 1980. Edward W. Fernandez. 

January 1995. 

No. ll - Using Analytic Techniques to Evaluate the 1990 Census Coverage of Young 

Hispanics. Edward Fernandez. May 1995. 

No. 12 - Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas: New Approaches to Geographical 

Definition. Donald C. Dahmann and James D. Fitzsimmons. October 1995. 

No. 13 - Building a Spanish Surname List for the 1990's--New Approach to An Old Problem. 

67
David L. Word and R. Colby Perkins, Jr. February 1996. 

No. 14 - Fertility of American Men. Amara Bachu. March 1996. 

No. 15 - Comparisons of Selected Social and Economic Characteristics Between Asians, 

Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians (Including Alaskan Natives). 

Edward W. Fernandez. June 1996. 

No. 16 - Findings on Questions on Race and Hispanic Origin Tested in the 1996 National 

Content Survey. Prepared in the Population Division by the Racial Statistics Branch 

and the Ethnic and Hispanic Statistics Branch. December 1996. 

No. 17 - Race and Ethnicity Classification Consistency Between the Census Bureau and the 

National Center for Health Statistics. Larry Sink. February 1997. 

No. 18 - Results of the 1996 Race and Ethnic Targeted Test. May 1997. 

No. 19 - Who Responds/Who Doesn=t? Analyzing Variation in Mail Response Rates During 

the 1990 Census. David L. Word. July 1997. 

No. 20 - Trends in Marital Status of U.S. Women at First Birth: 1930 to 1994. Amara Bachu. 

 March 1998. 

No. 21 - State Estimates of Organized Child Care Facilities. Lynne Casper and Martin 

O=Connell. March 1998. 

No. 22 - How Well Does the Current Population Survey Measure the Foreign-Born Population 

in the United States Dianne Schmidley and J. Gregory Robinson. April 1998 

No. 23 - Poverty, Family Structure, and Child Well-Being: Indicators from the SIPP. 

Jason Fields and Kristin Smith. April 1998 

No. 24 - Child Well-Being Indicators from the SIPP. 

Kristin Smith, Loretta Bass, and Jason Fields. April 1998 

No. 25 - Timing of First Births: 1930-34, 1990-94. Amara Bachu. May 1998 

No. 26 - Co-Resident Grandparents and Grandchildren: Grandparent Maintained Families. 

Lynne Casper and Ken Bryson. March 1998. 

No. 27 - Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 

1790 to 1990. Campbell Gibson. June 1998 

No. 28 - Are There Differences in Voting Behavior Between Naturalized and Native-born 

Americans? Loretta E. Bass and Lynne M. Casper. March 1999. 

68
No. 29 - Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 

1850-1990. Campbell J. Gibson. February 1999 

No. 30 - Direct Measures of Poverty as Indicators of Economic Need: Evidence from the 

Survey of Income and Program Participation. Kurt J. Bauman. November 1998 

No. 31 - American Community Survey and Intercensal Population Estimates: Where Are the 

Cross-roads? Amy Symens. December 1998 

No. 32 - Women=s Labor Force Attachment Patterns and Maternity Leave: A Review of the 

Literature. Kristen Smith and Amara Bachu. January 1999 

No. 33 - Evaluation of Relationship, Marital Status, and Grandparents Items on the Census 

2000 Dress Rehearsal Charles Clark and Jason Fields. April 1999. 

No. 34 - Unbinding the Ties: Edit Effects of Marital Status on Same Gender Couples. 

Charles Clark and Jason Fields. April 1999. 

No. 35 - Racial-Ethnic and Gender Differences in Returns to Cohabitation and Marriage: 

Evidence from the Current Population Survey. Philip N. Cohen. May 1999. 

No. 36 - How Does POSSLQ Measure Up? Historical Estimates of Cohabitation. 

Lynne Casper, Philip N. Cohen, and Tavia Simmons. May 1999. 

No. 37 - Childlessness Among American Women On the Rise? Amara Bachu. May 1999. 

No. 38 - Methodology and Assumptions for the Population Projections of the United States: 

1999 to 2100. Frederick Hollman, Tammany Mulder, and Jeffrey Kallan. 

January 1999. 

No. 39 - What Do We Know About the Undercount of Children? Kirsten K. West and 

J. Gregory Robinson. August 1999. 

No. 40 - Canceled 

No. 41 - Canceled 

No. 42 - Measures of Help Available to Households in Need: Their Relationship to 

Well-Being, Welfare, and Work. Kurt Bauman and Barbara Downs. May 2000 

No. 43 - Have We Reached the Top? Educational Attainment Projections of the U.S. 

Population. Jennifer Cheeseman Day and Kurt Bauman. May 2000. 

No. 44 - The Emerging American Voter: An Examination of the Increase in the Black Vote in 

November 1998. Avalaura L. Gaither and Eric C. Newburger. June 2000 

69
No. 45 - An Analysis of State and County Population Changes by Characteristics: 1990-1999. 

 Amy Symens Smith, Bashir Ahmed, and Larry Sink. November 2000. 

No. 46 - The Effect of Work and Welfare on Living Conditions in Single Parent Households. 

Kurt Bauman. August 2000. 

No. 47 - Canceled 

No. 48 - Canceled 

No. 49 - Variations in State Mortality From 1960 to 1990. 

Monique Oosse. Release Pending. 

No. 50 - Accuracy of the U.S. Census Bureau National Population Projections and Their 

Respective Components of Change. Tammany Mulder. November 2002. 

No. 51 - U.S. Census Bureau Measurement of Net International Migration to the United 

States: 1990 to 2000. Tammany Mulder, Frederick Hollmann, Lisa Lollock, Rachel 

Cassidy, Joseph Costanzo, and Josephine Baker. February 2002. 

No. 52 - At-Risk Conditions of U.S. School-Age Children. Robert Kominski, Amie Jamieson, 

and Gladys Martinez. June 2001. 

No. 53 - Home Schooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics. K. J. Bauman. 

August 2001. 

No. 54 - Evaluation of the 1990 School District Level Population Estimates Based on the 

Synthetic Ratio Approach. E. R. Miller. September 2001. 

No. 55 - State Estimates of Child Care Establishments 1977-1997. 

Grace O=Neil and Martin O=Connell. August 2001. 

No. 56 - Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990, and by 

Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, for the United States, Regions, Divisions, and States. 

 Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung. September 2002. 

No. 57 - Evaluating Forecast Error in State Population Projections Using Census 2000 Counts. 

 Paul Campbell. July 2002. 

No. 58 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Estimates of the Foreign-Born 

Population by Migrant Status: 2000. Kevin Deardorff and Lisa Blumerman. 

November 2002. 

No. 59 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Legal Migrants. Marc Perry, 

Barbara Van der Vate, Lea Auman, and Kathy Morris. November 2001. 

70
No. 60 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Temporary (Legal) Migrants. 

Rachel Cassidy and Lucinda Pearson. November 2001 

No. 61 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: The Residual Foreign Born. 

Joe Costanzo, Cynthia Davis, Caribert Irazi, Daniel Goodkind, Roberto Ramirez. 

January 2002. 

No. 62 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Foreign-Born Emigrants. 

Tammany Mulder, Betsy Guzmán, and Angela Brittingham. June 2002. 

No. 63 - Evaluating Components of Internation Migration: Native-Born Emigrants. 

Jim C. Gibbs, Gregory S. Harper, Marc J. Rubin, and Hyon B. Shin. 

January 2003. 

No. 64 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Migration Between Puerto Rico 

and the United States. Matt Christenson. January 2002. 

No. 65 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Quality of Foreign-Born and 

Hispanic Population Data. Art Cresce, Roberto Ramirez, and Gregory Spencer. 

July 2002. 

No. 66 - Evaluating Components of International Migration: Consistency of 2000 Nativity 

Data. Nolan Malone. July 2002. 

No. 67 - Evaluation of Census Bureau=s1995-2025 State Population Projections. 

Ching Li Wang. October 2002. 

No. 68 - Guide To International Migration Statistics: The Sources, Collection, and Processing 

of Foreign-Born Population Data at the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Joseph M. Costanzo, Cynthia J. Davis, and Nolan Malone. October 2002. 

No. 69 - Seasonality of Moves and Duration and Tenure of Residence: 1996. 

Jason Schachter and Jeffrey Kuenzi. December 2002. 

No. 70 - Evaluation of 2000 Subcounty Population Estimates. 

Greg Harper, Chuck Coleman, and Jason Devine. Release Pending. 

No. 71 - People Might Move Out but Housing Units Don=t: An Evaluation of the State and 

County Housing Unit Estimates. 

Jason Devine and Charles Coleman. April 2003. 

No. 72 - Analysis of General Hispanic Responses in Census 2000. 

Arthur R. Cresce and Roberto R. Ramirez. Release Pending. 

71
No. 73 - Measuring the Foreign-Born Population in the United States With the Current 

Population Survey: 1994-2002. 

A. Dianne Schmidley and J. Gregory Robinson. Release Pending. 

72