Finding
The Population Reference Bureau reports on a study finding that the life expectancy of Californians has decreased by about three years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)-affiliated researchers and colleagues published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The research shows that life expectancies for Hispanic, Black, and Asian Californians decreased more than for white Californians (see Figure 1). Hispanic populations in California lost 5.7 years of life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, while Black populations lost 3.8 years, Asian populations lost 3.0 years, and white populations lost 1.9 years, according to the study led by Hannes Schwandt, a Northwestern University professor and NBER affiliate.
FIGURE 1. Latino, Black, and Asian Californians Saw Significant Drops in Life Expectancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Change in life expectancy (in years) in California by race/ethnicity, 2019-2021
Note: Black, Asian, and white categories are non-Hispanic.
Hannes Schwandt et al., “Changes in the Relationship Between Income and Life Expectancy Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, California, 2015-2021,” JAMA 328, no. 4 (2022): 360-66, doi:10.1001/jama.2022.10952.