CDC: Americans Living Longer Than Ever

Across all groups

Americans are living longer than ever and their life expectancy is increasing every year, federal health officials reported Monday.

People born in 2009 can expect to live 78.5 years. That's an increase from just a year earlier -- when life expectancy at birth was 78.1 years. Since these latest statistics were collected, life expectancy has increased even more, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, and now stands at 78.7 years.

Much of the continued increase in life expectancy owes to better treatment of cardiovascular disease, a CDC researcher said.

And Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, added: "To the extent that we all want a bounty of years in life, this report conveys encouraging news. Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is rising for all groups."