Statistical Methods Used in Generating U.S. State-Level Life Tables

• Activity Number: 182
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2012 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Rong Wei*+
• Companies: National Center for Health Statistics
• Keywords: US mortality ; Life Tables ; Life expectancy ; Smoothing age specific death rates

Abstract

Life tables for the years 1999-2001 for the fifty US states plus the District of Columbia will soon be published by the National Center for Health Statistics. Race and gender specific tables are calculated based on death certificate data filed through the National Vital Statistical System. Table indices are provided for death cohort-based single-year ages from birth to age of 109 years, and include probability of dying, survival population, and life expectancy. Statistical methods are used to smooth cohorts and to resolve problems like missing/misreported ages, few or zero deaths for some young ages in small populations, and highly variability in numbers of observed deaths across ages. In this paper we present statistical methods used in generating US state-level life tables, including age imputation, probability models based on historical data, and parametrical and non-parametrical smoothing. Issues of standard errors for estimates and criteria used for estimating reliabilities are also discussed.