Surviving to Age 80

Most Americans can expect to live well into old age. It wasn't always this way. In 1901, only 13.5 percent of newborns could expect to live to age 80 based on age-specific mortality rates of that year. By 1950, the chance of a newborn living to age 80 had climbed to 29.3 percent. In 2000, the probability exceeded 50 percent for the first time. By 2010, the 57.2 percent majority of newborns could expect to live to age 80. But the chance of living to age 80 differs greatly by sex, race and Hispanic origin...

Percentage surviving to age 80 based on 2010 mortality rates
71.2% of Hispanic females
64.0% of non-Hispanic White females
57.4% of Hispanic males
57.2% of total people
55.0% of Black females
50.9% of non-Hispanic White males
38.3% of Black males

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality Data, United States Life Tables 2010