By Corey Byers

From 1999, through 2005, life expectancies for all Virginia residents rose steadily.

The latest state population data from the Virginia Department of Health puts the life expectancy for the average Virginian at age 78.

That’s up from age 76 just six years prior.

Compared to rest of the country, Virginia edged slightly ahead of the average national life expectancy in 2005, which was 77.

Download a Google Doc of this data set

Behind the numbers

Senior Connections, Virginia’s capital area agency on aging, assists seniors with services and programs in the commonwealth.

Dr. Thelma Watson, the executive director of the organization in Richmond, Va., said a few reasons contribute to increasing life expectancies across the state.

Changes in lifestyles and improvements in health care are obvious factors.

However, Watson said many senior residents may be living with two or three diseases—for example, diabetes and heart disease—but are using medications to control the overall effects on their health.

According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau on residents aged 65 and over, “research on genetic, biological, and physiological aspects of aging is likely to change the future for the older population.”

“In the medical and public health arenas, research to understand chronic diseases, such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, may produce significant improvements for treatment and prevention.”

Watson said an increased number of community services, such as transportation to medical appointments, are also contributing to longer lives for Virginians.

The non-profit plans to see the number of seniors living in the greater Richmond area grow during the next ten years.

Which Virginians live longer?

The VDH divides life expectancies into varying categories including the total population, white residents, black residents, males, females and a breakdown of males and females of both races.

Women in Virginia tend to live until age 80—about five years more than men. They also have a slight edge on living until age 100.

Since 1999, however, men have gained nearly two years in their average life expectancies while women gained about one year.

White residents are living about four years longer than black residents though it was black females who saw the greatest increase in life expectancies between 1999 and 2005.

In 1999, black females had a life expectancy of 74—that jumped to age 77 by 2005.

With the first of the Baby Boomer generation getting ready to retire in 2011, a Census Bureau report predicts the societal impact of this age group will be significant.

“The size and longevity of this group will trigger debate about possible modifications to Social Security, Medicare, and disability and retirement benefits, among other issues.”

Expect more centenarians

In 2005, the maximum age range calculated by the Virginia Department of Health changed.

According to Robert Magnotti, a policy analyst for VDH, the agency started using a different method to calculate life expectancies which included boosting the maximum age range from 110+ to 115.

Magnotti said the two main factors that go into calculating life expectancies are the age-specific number of deaths and age-specific counts in the general population. The two figures are plugged into a formula to calculate life expectancies.

While Magnotti said the agency is simply starting to use a different formula using the higher age range, a person’s chances of exceeding age 100 are going up.

Those living 100 or more years are classified as “centenarians.”

“Reduced mortality rates at older ages in recent decades also increased the number of people living to very old ages,” a U.S. Census Bureau report said.

The U.S. Census Bureau also projects that by 2050 there will be more than double the residents aged 65 to 84 nationally.

Nearly four times as many U.S. residents aged 85 and over are expected in the next 40 years as well.

Data-gathering Process (aka “Nerd Box”)

This project utilized the latest life expectancy data from the Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Health Statistics.

Data sets were converted from PDF documents into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet.

Age ranges for Virginia’s total population were divided into ten-year increments, for example, 60-69.

Using the AVERAGE function in Excel, the average life expectancies for each age group were calculated. Using those averages, the calculations were plotted on a graph to show how life expectancies for each age group have increased between 1999 and 2005.