So many Coloradans died of COVID-19 and related causes, including drug overdoses, that life expectancy statistics fell dramatically this past year.
The drop was most alarming among communities of color, where enough Hispanic and Black residents died in the pandemic that both groups’ life expectancy statistics fell by about four years. The drop among white people in Colorado was 1.4 years.
The state health department released the data Thursday afternoon, showing overall life expectancy in Colorado dropped by a full two years, from 80.9 years in 2019 to 78.9 years in 2020.
