(NewsNation) — New research suggests that how long a person lives can vary by where they live in the United States.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that life expectancy in the United States increased in 2023, reaching the highest point since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this trend was not uniform across the country. In several Southern states, life expectancy saw minimal change, especially among women.

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health reviewed death records of 77 million women and 102 million men born between 1900 and 2000. They discovered that, nationwide, women’s life expectancy rose from 73.8 to 84.1 years, while men’s life expectancy increased from 62.8 to 80.3 years.

The bottom five states for life expectancy among women born in 2000 compared to 1900 are:

• Arkansas, where the increase was 76.6 from 75.7
• Kentucky, up 76.5 from 74.9
• Mississippi, up 76.6 from 73.2
• Oklahoma, down to 76 from 76.7
• West Virginia, up 75.3 from 74.3

Southern men born in 2000 also tended to have a lower life expectancy, but showed more improvement than women since 1900 in these southern states:

• Alabama, with an increase of 72.6 from 62.5
• Louisiana, up 72.9 from 61.5
• Mississippi, up 71.8 from 62.3
• Tennessee, up 73.4 from 63.6
• West Virginia, up 72.6 from 63.7

Southern states that showed a greater life expectancy for both men and women were Florida, Texas and Virginia.

The study’s authors credited nationwide declines in mortality rates to improvements in sanitation, healthcare, and tobacco policies. They also pointed out that variations in state public health policies contribute to the regional differences observed in life expectancy trends.