If you had a choice, what age would you want to live until?
We recently asked 8,750 U.S. adults that question as part of a survey about aging. Though life expectancy at birth is 78 years old in the United States, Americans would like to live longer than that.
A broad majority of adults (76%) say they would want to live until they’re at least 80. That includes 29% who would like to reach 100 and join the rapidly growing ranks of centenarians. On average, Americans want to live to be 91 years old.
Not everyone would prefer to live that long, though. About one-in-six adults (16%) say they would want to live to an age younger than 80. Another 8% didn’t answer.
There are some demographic differences in the age that Americans want to live to. The average preferred age is higher among men than women (93 vs. 88). It is also a bit higher among Black adults (95) than among those who are White (91), Hispanic (89) or Asian (85).
Life expectancy in the U.S. follows a different demographic pattern. As of 2023, life expectancy at birth was higher for women than men (81 vs. 76), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it was highest among Asian Americans (85), followed by Hispanic (81), White (78) and Black Americans (74). American Indians and Alaska Natives had the lowest life expectancy at birth at 70 years.
It’s important to note that life expectancy increases with age. While babies born in the U.S. today can expect to live to be 78, Americans who are 65 today can expect to live to be 85. That’s because, by the time someone reaches 65, they are unlikely to die from some causes that disproportionately affect younger people, such as pregnancy complications or congenital diseases.
Note: Here are the survey questions used for this analysis, the detailed responses and the survey methodology.
