Life Expectancy

Differences in life expectancy by race and region reflect inequities across the lifespan 

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Life expectancy reflects all of the factors that can improve or harm health that individuals experience throughout their lifetimes. Life expectancy at birth is defined as the total number of years a newborn can expect to live given current death rates. From 2020-2024, life expectancy in King County was 81.1 years, which remains higher than the national average. However, we still experience stark differences in life expectancy by place and race/ethnicity in King County. 

  • Trends: Life expectancy in King County has decreased in recent years. Inequities in life expectancy have grown, as some of the largest declines were among groups that already had the lowest life expectancies. For people of Hispanic descent, life expectancy has decreased by 4.1 years from the 2015-2017 average life expectancy of 87.1 years to 83.0 years in 2022-2024. American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) residents experienced the steepest decline, of 4.4 years, from 72.2 in 2017-2019 to 67.6 years in 2022-2024. By region, average life expectancy among South King County residents dropped to its lowest rate in nearly two decades in 2021-2023 (78.3 years).   

  • Race and ethnicity: Life expectancy was highest among Asian (86.6) residents. Among American Indian and Alaska Native residents, life expectancy was 19 years lower, at 67.6. 

  • Region and city/neighborhood: Residents of King County’s South Region (78.8 years) had the lowest life expectancy of any region, while those in East King County had the highest (84.2 years).  On a neighborhood level, residents of Mercer Island and the Point Cities have the highest life expectancy of 87.2 years, while Seattle’s Downtown, Belltown, and First Hill residents have the lowest life expectancy of 72.4 years, a difference of over 14 years. 

  • Income: Residents living in low poverty neighborhoods (85.8 years) live an average of 6.6 years longer than those in very high poverty neighborhoods (81.1 years). 

  • Gender: Gender differences in life expectancy mirror national trends. Female (83.7 years) residents are expected to live on average 5.0 years longer than males (78.7 years). 

To understand what could be driving these differences in life expectancy, explore this visualization of the Leading Causes of Death in King County, or read this article about the impacts of the social determinants of health on life expectancy. This article addresses the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy at the national level. The King County Mortality Report features local data and trends on life expectancy and causes of death over the last decade. In this presentation recording, staff from Communities Count help break down the data from the most recent report (2015-2024) and what it means for us as we strive to towards health, well-being and racial equity in our county. 

 

Notes & Sources

Source: Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics.

To learn more about the birth and death certificate data and view their data biographies, click here (death data) and here (birth data).

 
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