Disclaimer: General educational research only — not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by state and by family. Talk to an estate planning attorney in your state before you act.
Estate Planning Data & Research → Life Expectancy at 65 by State
Turning 65 isn’t the end of planning. In most states a 65-year-old can expect to live another 17 to 20 years, long enough for a will to go out of date, a spouse to die first, or a health crisis to make someone unable to sign documents.
This page shows life expectancy at 65 in every state and D.C. from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics U.S. State Life Tables, 2022, the newest state tables available.
A plan made at 65 has to work for two decades or more. See how a trust and a will differ.
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Cite this page URL when reusing findings. Not a substitute for official sources or professional advice.
Key findings
- A 65-year-old in Hawaii can expect 20.5 more years; in West Virginia, 16.6, a gap of 3.9 years.
- Longest after 65: Hawaii (20.5 years), Connecticut (19.8 years), New York (19.8 years), California (19.7 years) and Massachusetts (19.7 years).
- Shortest after 65: West Virginia (16.6 years), Mississippi (16.7 years), Oklahoma (16.8 years), Kentucky (16.8 years) and Arkansas (17.0 years).
- In the typical state, a 65-year-old has 18.7 years left, and about 48.0% of 65-year-olds will reach 85.
- Chance of reaching 85 from 65 ranges from 55.9% in Hawaii to 36.9% in West Virginia.
Life expectancy at 65 by state, 2022
| State | Years left at 65 | Expected age at death (if 65 today) | Years left at 75 | Chance a 65-year-old reaches 85 (%) | Life expectancy at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 20.5 | 85.5 | 13.1 | 55.9 | 80.0 |
| Connecticut | 19.8 | 84.8 | 12.4 | 53.0 | 79.4 |
| New York | 19.8 | 84.8 | 12.5 | 52.5 | 79.5 |
| California | 19.7 | 84.7 | 12.4 | 52.3 | 79.3 |
| Massachusetts | 19.7 | 84.7 | 12.3 | 52.5 | 79.8 |
| Minnesota | 19.6 | 84.6 | 12.2 | 51.7 | 79.3 |
| New Jersey | 19.6 | 84.6 | 12.2 | 51.7 | 79.6 |
| North Dakota | 19.5 | 84.5 | 12.4 | 51.5 | 77.9 |
| Vermont | 19.5 | 84.5 | 12.1 | 51.6 | 78.3 |
| Colorado | 19.4 | 84.4 | 12.0 | 51.4 | 78.5 |
| Florida | 19.4 | 84.4 | 12.2 | 51.0 | 77.9 |
| Rhode Island | 19.4 | 84.4 | 12.1 | 50.7 | 79.2 |
| South Dakota | 19.4 | 84.4 | 12.1 | 50.4 | 77.3 |
| Montana | 19.1 | 84.1 | 11.8 | 49.2 | 77.3 |
| New Hampshire | 19.1 | 84.1 | 11.8 | 49.7 | 78.7 |
| Washington | 19.1 | 84.1 | 11.9 | 49.5 | 78.4 |
| Wisconsin | 19.1 | 84.1 | 11.9 | 49.2 | 78.1 |
| Idaho | 19.0 | 84.0 | 11.6 | 48.9 | 78.4 |
| Maryland | 19.0 | 84.0 | 11.9 | 48.9 | 77.8 |
| Utah | 19.0 | 84.0 | 11.5 | 49.1 | 79.0 |
| Nebraska | 18.9 | 83.9 | 11.8 | 48.6 | 78.3 |
| Arizona | 18.8 | 83.8 | 11.8 | 48.4 | 76.7 |
| Delaware | 18.8 | 83.8 | 11.7 | 47.6 | 76.5 |
| Oregon | 18.8 | 83.8 | 11.7 | 48.2 | 77.7 |
| District of Columbia | 18.7 | 83.7 | 12.5 | 48.3 | 76.6 |
| Illinois | 18.7 | 83.7 | 11.8 | 47.5 | 77.5 |
| Iowa | 18.7 | 83.7 | 11.7 | 47.3 | 77.9 |
| Maine | 18.7 | 83.7 | 11.6 | 48.0 | 76.6 |
| New Mexico | 18.7 | 83.7 | 11.8 | 48.1 | 74.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 18.7 | 83.7 | 11.7 | 47.2 | 77.3 |
| Alaska | 18.6 | 83.6 | 11.7 | 47.4 | 75.8 |
| Virginia | 18.5 | 83.5 | 11.6 | 46.8 | 77.5 |
| Wyoming | 18.5 | 83.5 | 11.5 | 46.5 | 76.8 |
| Michigan | 18.4 | 83.4 | 11.5 | 45.7 | 76.8 |
| Texas | 18.3 | 83.3 | 11.4 | 45.2 | 77.1 |
| Kansas | 18.1 | 83.1 | 11.4 | 44.7 | 76.5 |
| North Carolina | 18.1 | 83.1 | 11.3 | 44.6 | 75.9 |
| South Carolina | 18.0 | 83.0 | 11.3 | 44.5 | 75.1 |
| Georgia | 17.9 | 82.9 | 11.2 | 43.4 | 75.9 |
| Nevada | 17.9 | 82.9 | 11.1 | 43.4 | 76.4 |
| Missouri | 17.8 | 82.8 | 11.2 | 43.3 | 75.2 |
| Ohio | 17.8 | 82.8 | 11.2 | 43.3 | 75.6 |
| Indiana | 17.7 | 82.7 | 11.1 | 42.7 | 75.4 |
| Louisiana | 17.5 | 82.5 | 11.0 | 41.8 | 73.8 |
| Tennessee | 17.2 | 82.2 | 10.7 | 40.0 | 73.8 |
| Alabama | 17.1 | 82.1 | 10.7 | 39.7 | 73.8 |
| Arkansas | 17.0 | 82.0 | 10.7 | 39.3 | 73.9 |
| Kentucky | 16.8 | 81.8 | 10.4 | 37.8 | 73.6 |
| Oklahoma | 16.8 | 81.8 | 10.6 | 38.6 | 73.8 |
| Mississippi | 16.7 | 81.7 | 10.5 | 37.7 | 72.6 |
| West Virginia | 16.6 | 81.6 | 10.3 | 36.9 | 72.2 |
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022 (National Vital Statistics Reports vol. 74, no. 12), total population tables. Chance of reaching 85 is survivors at 85 divided by survivors at 65. Sorted by years left at 65.
Planning for the years after 65
- Keep the will current. Twenty years brings marriages, deaths, grandchildren and moves. See life events that outdate a will.
- Plan for incapacity, not just death. A durable power of attorney and health care proxy must be signed while you can. See the incapacity gap.
- Write down end-of-life wishes. See end-of-life wishes by state.
Related: chance of dying before 65 by state · the 85-and-older population by state · turning 65 by state
Methodology
CDC NCHS U.S. State Life Tables, 2022, one total-population table per state and D.C. (files XX1.xlsx), downloaded Oct. 16, 2026. Years left at 65 and 75 are the expectation of life (ex) at those ages. Chance of reaching 85 is lx(85) ÷ lx(65). These are period life tables: they assume 2022 death rates continue, so they describe a year, not the future of any person.
What this doesn’t measure. Individual health, income, sex or race differences (NCHS publishes separate tables by sex), or changes in death rates after 2022.
Frequently asked questions
What is life expectancy at 65 in the U.S.?
State values range from 16.6 years in West Virginia to 20.5 in Hawaii in 2022; the typical state is 18.7.
Why use life expectancy at 65 instead of at birth?
Life expectancy at birth is pulled down by deaths at younger ages. Life expectancy at 65 shows how long people who already reached retirement age usually live.
Is this the newest data?
Yes. The 2022 state life tables are the latest NCHS has published; state tables lag a few years.
Is this legal advice?
No. Talk to an estate planning attorney in your state.
Sources
Public-domain government sources only. Fetched 2026-10-16.
Data
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022 (NVSR vol. 74, no. 12), state files: https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/NVSR/74-12/
- NCHS Life Tables program page: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/life_tables.htm
Cite this data
Family Estate Guide, “Life Expectancy at 65 by State,” October 2026. https://familyestateguide.com/estate-planning-data/life-expectancy-at-65-by-state/
You’re welcome to reuse the table with a link back to this page. The underlying government data is public.
Published October 16, 2026 by Family Estate Guide. Data vintage: CDC NCHS U.S. State Life Tables, 2022. Editorial standards.