국회도서관 국가전략정보포털

Title page

Contents

Summary 2

Introduction 4

Life Expectancy in the United States 5

Measuring Gaps in Life Expectancy 11

The Growing Gap in Life Expectancy by Income: Recent Evidence 13

Implications for Social Security Benefits 20

Recent Evidence 22

Policy Considerations for Proposals That Increase the Retirement Age 28

Estimated Impacts of Policy to Increase Earliest Eligibility Age and Full Retirement Age 29

Effect of Proposals to Increase the Earliest Eligibility Age 29

Effect of Proposals to Increase the Full Retirement Age 31

Conclusion 33

Appendix. Summary of Selected Studies on the Life Expectancy Gap by Income 34

Author Information 37

Acknowledgments 37

Disclaimer 37

Figure 1. Life Expectancy by Sex at Birth and Age 65, 1950-2018 9

Figure 2. Life Expectancy by Race at Birth and Age 65, 1950-2018 10

Figure 3. Life Expectancy at Age 65 for Male Workers, by Birth Year and Earnings 14

Figure 4. Life Expectancy at Age 50 for Males and Females Born in 1930 and 1960, by Income Quintile 17

Figure 5. Life Expectancy for Males and Females Born in 1920 and 1940, by Income Decile 19

Figure 6. Average Lifetime Social Security Benefits for Males and Females Born in 1930 and 1960, by Income Quintile 23

Figure 7. Change in Life Expectancy and Percentage Change in Lifetime Social Security Benefits for the 1920 and 1940 Birth Cohorts, by Earnings Deciles 25

Boxes

Box 1. Estimating Life Expectancy: Data and Methods 7

Box 2. The Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Life Expectancy 8

Box 3. Recent Increases in Mortality Among U.S. Middle-Aged, Non-Hispanic Whites 11

Table A-1. Selected Studies on the Life Expectancy Gap by Income 34