CDC: Life Expectancy Hits Record High life gets longer year by year Life expectancy for Americans has reached an all-time high, according to the latest U.S. mortality statistics released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003,” prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), shows life expectancy at 77.6 years in 2003, up from 77.3 in 2002. The gap between male and female life expectancy closed from 5.4 years in 2002 to 5.3 years in 2003, continuing a trend toward narrowing since the peak gap of 7.8 years in 1979. Record-high life expectancies were found for white males (75.4 years) and black males (69.2 males), as well as for white females (80.5 years) and black females (76.1 years). Other findings in the report include: death rate in the U.S. reached an all-time low in 2003 based on preliminary age-adjusted death rate: 831.2 deaths per 100,000 population. death rates declined for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. Age-adjusted declines: heart disease -3.6%, cancer -2.2%, stroke -4.6%. firearm mortality dropped nearly -3% between 2002 and 2003. alcohol death rate dropped -4.3%, and drug-related deaths -3.3% in 2003. mortality increased for the following leading causes of death: Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease, hypertension, and Parkinson’s disease. The report is based on data recorded from approximately 93 percent of state death certificates issued in 2003. Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003 is available at the www.cdc.gov/nchs. Back to Top