We’re aging gracefully in the Bay State, a new report confirms.

Life expectancy in Massachusetts is up, with most of us expected to live to 80 years and 7 months old, the state Department of Public Health reported Wednesday. The national rate is 78 years and 8 months.

Life expectancy rates went up by three months between 2015 and 2016, with 852 fewer deaths in the state. The death rate declined for white, Asian and Hispanic people while the rate increased for black residents according to the “Massachusetts Deaths 2016” report.

“Massachusetts has worked hard to have near universal health care coverage that promotes health, and we consistently rank as one of the healthiest states in the nation,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.

The leading cause of death in 2016 was cancer followed by heart disease and injury deaths such as overdose, suicide or falls. Cancer deaths were highest for white residents and lowest for Hispanic and Asian residents.

“One of the big takeaways from this report is that Massachusetts continues to see a steady decline in deaths from chronic conditions such as cancer and heart disease — huge drivers of life expectancy,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel.

Bharel said increased access to health care and a decrease in smoking have also led to improvements in life expectancy in the commonwealth.

“But we also know that we’d likely see even higher life expectancy rates in Massachusetts if we were not losing so many young people to the opioid epidemic sweeping our state and the country,” Bharel said. On average, seven Massachusetts residents died every day in 2016 from poisoning, which includes opioid overdoses.

Hispanic women in the state had the highest life expectancy in 2016 with 89 years while white women lived 82 years and 11 months and black women lived 83 years and 7 months.

Education also played a factor in life expectancy — the death rate for those who completed high school or less was more than three times higher than those who completed education above high school.

Naokh Vysoky, a 98-year-old Brighton resident, said the secret to living a long life is “to be a good man, to be a good person and to live for people, help people to live.

“When you work, when you try to do something to help people, to be a nice member of the council and to be nice to people,” said Vysoky, who volunteers for his tenant council. “I feel satisfied with my work. Thanks to God, he allowed me to live for a long time.”

Life expectancy in the state was at its highest in 2012-2013, reaching 80 years and 11 months and has remained above 80 years since 2006.

Jordan Frias contributed to this report.