The Relationship Between Life Expectancy and Income in the US: New Evidence & Policy Lessons

This talk will discuss results from a recent study by Raj Chetty, PhD, Professor of Economics, Stanford University and his colleagues on the relationship between life expectancy and income in the U.S. Using 1.4 billion records on income and mortality, the authors present new estimates of life expectancy by income level from 2001-14 for each county in the U.S. The study shows that there are large and rapidly growing differences in life expectancy by income in the U.S. as a whole. However, the income gap in longevity is considerably smaller and is shrinking in some areas.  The authors characterize the key factors associated with greater life expectancy among low-income individuals and discuss implications for policy and practice.

Room 130