Understanding Railroad Retirement Beneficiaries’ Longevity

The Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) analysis, derived from the Twenty-Ninth Actuarial Valuation conducted as of December 31, 2022, reveals vital insights into the life expectancies of various beneficiary categories within the railroad retirement system. These comprehensive studies encompass male and female age annuitants, disability annuitants, spouses, and widows.

How long are Railroaders living

Trends in Life Expectancies

Comparisons between the studies from the Twenty-Ninth and Twenty-Eighth valuations highlight an overall varied result in life expectancies for most beneficiary groups, except for female age annuitants. Notably, life expectancies for male railroad retirement age annuitants have shown improvement over the past two decades, albeit at a decelerated pace in recent years.

The slow down in life expectancy is due to the COVID pandemic. Although, the expectation is for trends to be positive for answering the question how long are railroaders living.

Significance of Life Expectancies

Life expectancies serve as crucial indicators for benefit payouts, as benefits are typically disbursed until the beneficiary’s demise. For spouses and widows, specific events such as the employee’s death or widow’s remarriage can impact benefit continuity.

Although, there are differences in life expectancy for disabled and widow/widower when comparing to non disabled, widow/widower. More about the difference is discussed in the following sections.

Variations in Longevity Among Beneficiaries

The disparities in longevity across different categories of railroad retirement beneficiaries and compares them with life expectancy figures for the overall U.S. population. For instance, a male railroad worker retiring at 65 can anticipate receiving annuities for around 18.4 years, while a female retiring at the same age has a life expectancy of 21.0 years, indicating a 2.6 year difference.

Over the years there have been much research in life expectancy of males and females and the research provided in the Actuarial notes from March 2025 continues to validate the claim. More information about the research can be found in the actuarial notes here: RRB Actuarial Notes March 2025.

Insights into Disability Beneficiaries’ Longevity

The data highlights disparities in the life expectancies of disability beneficiaries based on when they became disabled. Newly disabled individuals generally have lower life expectancies compared to those disabled for an extended period.

For instance, a person disabled at 50 may expect to live an average of 24.0 years, while one disabled for more than 5 years has a life expectancy of 24.6 years.

Survival Probabilities

The probabilities of survival for specific periods among different railroad retirement beneficiary groups. For example, among 1,000 male age annuitants at 65, around 936 are expected to survive for at least 5 years, while only 455 are projected to be alive after 20 years.

These survival probabilities for males on how long are railroaders living is an decrease over the numbers provided in the previous study.

Similarly, among 1,000 female age annuitants at 65, around 961 are expected to survive for at least 5 years approximately 576 are anticipated to be alive after 20 years.

These survival probabilities for females on how long are railroaders living is an increase over the numbers provided in the previous study.

Considerations and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The report underscores that the experience studies include the pandemic years. Preliminary data indicates higher-than-expected mortality rates during the pandemic, particularly for older individuals and those with disabilities.

This could marginally reduce life expectancies, yet the introduction of effective vaccines in 2021 has mitigated some adverse impacts. However, the long-term effects of the pandemic on life expectancies remain uncertain.

However, the methods used to determine how long are railroaders living can benefit from both recent information and historically information to improve on the expectations.

Closing: How long are Railroaders living

In conclusion, these findings from the RRB’s studies provide valuable insights into the longevity of railroad retirement beneficiaries, aiding in understanding benefit disbursement, planning, and highlighting the impact of diverse factors on life expectancies in this specialized demographic.

How to apply – how long are railroaders living to you

If you are retired or considering retiring in the near future we would suggest reviewing this information, and allowing it to assist in the financial planning of your retirement. For example, in your situation you could determine the average life expectancy and build a plan that will support your life in addition to the average years stated on the life expectancy.

What is not recommended is not making a plan, and planning for a shorter retirement time frame. And not having enough money in retirement.

If you would like to speak with a Certified Financial Planner that specializes in railroad retirement found out more information at Welcome to A Small Investment from My Railroad Retirement.