Life expectancy for an American man was 61 when Social Security went into effect in 1940.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 1 contradict2 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
The SSA historical table gives 61.4 years for male life expectancy at birth in 1940 and CDC data gives 60.8, both consistent with the claimed 61. PolitiFact, however, states that men had about 54 years in 1940, which conflicts with those primary figures, so the sources disagree on the measure and number.
Minor detail. The sources confirm the claim; only a minor detail differs, such as a name's spelling, a title's wording or a rounding.
What was said
… Here in America, we spend six times more on every person over 65 than we do on those under 25, and this is not sustainable. When Social Security went into effect in 1940, life expectancy for an American man was 61, and Social Security kicked in at 65, so you can see why it was such a workable way of getting money to older people, because they were dead before they got it. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. PolitiFact states that U.S. men had a life expectancy of about 54 years in 1940, a figure well below the 61 in the primary SSA and CDC data.[1]
Supports. The SSA Period Life Expectancies table lists male life expectancy at birth in 1940 as 61.4 years.[2]
Supports. CDC historical data lists average life expectancy for all-races males in 1940 as 60.8 years, close to the claimed 61.[3]
Context. The claim's wording matches the passage on the Maher show, and the ABC6 report quotes the same 61 figure, but that coverage only shows the claim was made.[4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 1 not rated
- 1Who's right on life expectancy, DeSantis or Haley? Bothpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Period Life Expectancies, Historicalssa.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Data.CDC.govdata.cdc.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4'Eat grandma' | Bill Maher explains why he thinks young Americans ...abc6onyourside.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post