(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for National Park Service)

Life expectancy in Massachusetts is longer than you might think. The Commonwealth sits in the top half of the Top 10 in a new study.

 

The study, conducted by NiceRX, claims that Massachusetts has the fourth-longest life expectancy in the entire United States. On the one hand, sure. Mass is a healthcare hub, so I can see our state ranking high in life expectancy. On the other hand, I’m a bit surprised. All that road rage and anger directed toward our sports teams? I would think that would lead to a lot of heart attacks, strokes, and shorter lives in general.

 

Then again, I don’t have the stats. You can get those here. The research also gave us the following fun facts about Massachusetts from a health care and life expectancy perspective:

  • The average emergency room wait time in Massachusetts is 189 minutes, which is the 3rd longest in the US.
  • In 2020, Massachusetts spent $33.36 billion on healthcare expenditure, which is the 9th highest total in the US.

 

For more perspective, here are two more tidbits from the study that focus on the rest of the U.S.:
  • The average life expectancy in the US is 79.11 years. Of all the states, Mississippi has the shortest life expectancy averaging 71.9 years.
  • The average female life expectancy in the US is 81.65 years, which is almost 5 years longer than the male life expectancy at 76.61 years.

 

Life Expectancy in Massachusetts Ranks in the Top 10

And another twist? Massachusetts is in a three-way tie for forth place. One of the states we’re tied with is another New England state. And two other New England states make the Top 10. Take a look below to see what state it is and to see the rest of the Top 10. And one more thing on the subject of health: Massachusetts recently launched a new 24/7 crisis helpline. It’s free, and you can learn more here.

  • 10. Connecticut

    Life expectancy: 78.4

  • 9. Utah

    Life expectancy: 78.6

  • 7T. Vermont

    Life expectancy: 78.8

  • 7T. Oregon

    Life expectancy: 78.8

  • 4T. New Hampshire

    Life expectancy: 79

  • 4T. Massachusetts

    Life expectancy: 79

  • 4T. California

    Life expectancy: 79

  • 3. Minnesota

    Life expectancy: 79.1

  • 2. Washington

    Life expectancy: 79.2

  • 1. Hawaii