Good news: Connecticut residents live longer

Life expectancy for Connecticut residents is better than the national average and a significant jump over what life expectancy was 50 years ago.

For Connecticut women, life expectancy is 82.1 years compared to the national average of 80 years. That's six years longer than 50 years ago. Women rank 5th among all the states in life expectancy.

For Connecticut men, life expectancy is 76.3 years compared to the national average of 74.3 years. That's seven years longer than 50 years ago. Men rank 9th among all the states in life expectancy.

Hawaii and California have the highest life expectancy; southern states have the lowest. In Hawaii, women live 84.5 years and men live 77.4 years. In California, women live 82.8 years and men live 77 years.

Between the Lines: As Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing is certain, except death and taxes." In Connecticut, the good news is that our residents live longer than other states, but the bad news is that we pay higher taxes for more years.

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