How long does a 61 year old live?
A woman of 61 in the US reaches 85.1 on average, and a man 82.3, by the 2024 US life table. That's 24.1 and 21.3 more years. Half of 61-year-old women live past 86, and half of men past 83.
Women aged 61
85.1the average age reached
- Reach 7091%
- Reach 7584%
- Reach 8072%
- Reach 8556%
- Reach 9034%
- Reach 9514%
- Reach 1003%
- Years left
- 24.1
- The middle half reach
- 79 to 92
Men aged 61
82.3the average age reached
- Reach 7086%
- Reach 7576%
- Reach 8062%
- Reach 8544%
- Reach 9024%
- Reach 958%
- Reach 1001%
- Years left
- 21.3
- The middle half reach
- 75 to 90
Out of 100 people aged 61, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | 97 | 95 |
| 70 | 91 | 86 |
| 75 | 84 | 76 |
| 80 | 72 | 62 |
| 85 | 56 | 44 |
| 90 | 34 | 24 |
| 95 | 14 | 8 |
| 100 | 3 | 1 |
Why it's higher than 79
The 79.0 years you hear about is the US average at birth in 2024. By 61, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 85.1 for women and 82.3 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 61, smokers and marathon runners alike. In a study of 123,219 US health professionals, people with five healthy habits at 50 could expect 12 to 14 more years than people with none (Li 2018). See your own estimate from the same study, or take the floor test.
2 sources
- NCHS, United States Life Tables, 2024, National Vital Statistics Reports 75(5)cdc.gov
- Li Y and others, Circulation 2018pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
