NEW YORK — Americans are living longer than ever before.
A new government report says not only has U.S. life expectancy inched up, but death rates have fallen.
For example, the life expectancy for a child born in 2012 is 78 years and 9 ½ months. That’s about six weeks longer than life expectancy in 2010 and 2011, and it’s a record.
For men 65 years old, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they have about 18 years of life left, and women have about 20 ½ years. The gaps between men and women grew slightly in 2012, compared to the year before.
The infant mortality rate dropped slightly in 2012, to a new low of 5.98 infant deaths per 1,000 births.
And the 10 leading causes of death are the same, with heart disease and cancer topping the list.
The suicide rate rose more than 2 percent.
