In order to test the hypothesis that the longevity of aged persons differs according to residence and by sex, race, and marital status, data from every third year between 1962 and 1974 in the Louisiana State Bureau of Vital Statistics were examined. Criteria for population inclusion were: people over 65 years of age; Louisiana residents at time of death; and death not due to external violence. Altogether, 14,420 deaths of persons over 65 were recorded in 1962; 15,528 in 1965; 16,207 in 1968; 16,018 in 1971; and 16,893 in 1974. Findings indicated: rural females were the most long lived; urban males had the shortest lifespan; urban blacks had the shortest lifespan in 1962 and 1965 and rural whites had the longest lifespan; urban blacks had the shortest lifespan in 1968, 1971, and 1974 and urban whites had the longest life expectancy; urban married persons in 1962, 1965, and 1968 had the shortest lifespan; rural once married had the longest life expectancy; rural married persons had the shortest lifespan in 1974 and rural once married had the longest lifespan; residence had a more pronounced effect on longevity in 1962, 1965, and 1968; in recent years (1971 and 1974), longevity had not been affected as greatly by residence. (JC)