Average life expectancy in Chicago rebounds to 78.7 years, following worst years of pandemic

Chicago’s average life expectancy bounced back to 78.7 years in 2023, nearly hitting its prepandemic peak — though large gaps remain between races and neighborhoods, according to the city health department.

City health officials attributed the overall improvement to a drop in COVID-19 deaths, after leaving the worst years of the pandemic behind, as well as fewer people dying early from chronic diseases.

The highest average life expectancy ever recorded in Chicago was 78.8 years in 2019, according to the health department. In 2020, that number plummeted to 75.2 as Chicago and the nation grappled with the devastation of COVID-19.