The Trajectory of Life Expectancy and Life Expectancy Gradients through the COVID-19 Pandemic

We will measure changes in life expectancy between 2022 and 2024 and examine how the
relationship between income and life expectancy varied by year and by race and ethnicity. We
will explore changes in the income-life expectancy gradient between 2015 and 2024, capturing
the period before, during, and after the pandemic, and investigate how those changes differed
across racial and ethnic populations. The primary outcome of this study, life expectancy at birth,
is an estimate of how long a cohort of newborns can expect to live were they to experience the
prevailing age-specific mortality rates of the year. For example, estimates of life expectancy at
birth in 2020 describe the mortality experience of a population in 2020. Restricted death data
are obtained from the California Comprehensive Death Files of the California Department of
Health, which include detailed information such as birth and death dates, race and ethnicity, and
census track of residence. Household income data and population counts are collected from the
US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). We will examine the income-life
expectancy gradient for the California state population and 4 sub-populations (Asian, Black,
Hispanic, and White) defined by race and ethnicity.