How long do New Yorkers live? On average, we just got a little more time

They call New York City residents “hard” for a reason. But we’re getting more time to shake it off.

Stats released by the NYC Health Department Tuesday show citywide life expectancy at birth rose to 82.6 years in 2023, which is the most recent data available. That’s up 1.1 years over 2022 and marks a return to the pre-pandemic high.

Between 2021 and 2023, the data show reductions in deaths from COVID-19 (down 89.8 percent), heart- and diabetes-related diseases (down 4.7 percent), screenable cancers (down 4.6 percent), and homicides (down 20.3 percent). However, the data show increases in overdose deaths in 2023 compared to 2021 (up 12.7 percent over this time period, despite more recent decreases) and suicide (up 1.7 percent).

Though the data indicate strides forward for New Yorkers’ health, lower life expectancy among Black New Yorkers remains an area of concern. Black New Yorkers had the lowest life expectancy among racial or ethnic groups at 78.3 years, while life expectancy among white New Yorkers was 83.3 years. Inequities that worsened due to the COVID pandemic have improved, but the gap between groups is still greater than it was in 2019.

The city’s goal is to have average life expectancy at birth reach at least 83 by the year 2030, an effort driven by providing education and assistance around risk factors, chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers and overdoses, among other leading causes of premature death. A death is considered premature if it’s pre-65.

Provisional data for 2024 shows the city hits 83.2 years in 2024, surpassing its goal. Final 2024 data will be released next year.

The health department highlighted some additional stats from its latest Vital Statistics report. Access all publicly available data, including provisional statistics, on the agency’s website here.

Life expectancy

• Life expectancy for Latino New Yorkers in 2023 was 82.8 years.
• In 2023, life expectancy for Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers exceeded all other race/ethnicity groups, at 86.9 years.
• Black New Yorkers had the lowest life expectancy among racial or ethnic groups at 78.3 years, while life expectancy among white New Yorkers was 83.3 years.

Premature mortality (death before age 65)

• The citywide age-adjusted premature death rate decreased by 5 percent from 220.3 per 100,000 population in 2022, to 209.2 in 2023. This is still higher than the 2019 rate of 180.2.

Mortality

• The COVID-19 age-adjusted death rate decreased substantially, from 40.5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2022 to 7.7 in 2023.
• The age-adjusted death rate also decreased to 529.8 per 100,000 population in 2023, down from 579.2 in 2022. However, the rate is still higher than the 2019 rate of 512.7 per 100,000 population.
• The unintentional drug overdose crude (not age-adjusted) rate slightly increased in 2023, with a 0.5 percent increase from 2022. The drug-related death rate was highest among Black New Yorkers.

Birth and infancy

• The New York City’s birth rate was 11.9 births per 1,000 population in 2023, which remained the same since 2022.
• The infant mortality rate was 4.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, a 2.3 percent decrease from 2022. The rate for Black New Yorkers was 3.8 times the rate for white New Yorkers. The rate may vary from year to year due to small numbers.