Reports the fitted-model vintages this package ships, with the provenance and race semantics needed to choose one. Vintages are not interchangeable — model structure differs, not only fitted values.
Value
A data frame with one row per usable vintage and columns:
vintage (character identifier), n_strata (integer, always 9),
nonwhite_code (character, the stratum code this vintage uses for its
non-white category), nonwhite_meaning (character, what that category
actually contains), added (character date the fits were added, where
known, otherwise NA).
There is deliberately no source column: R/ carries no literal share
path. data-raw/build-models.R names the location the fits are restored
from.
Read nonwhite_meaning before citing a stratum
The table2023 non-white category is stored under code b but is a
risk-weighted average of Black, Asian, American Indian and Hispanic death
rates. It is not Black. The macro's own comment says otherwise and is
wrong.
Examples
us_lifetable_vintages()
#> vintage n_strata nonwhite_code
#> 1 table84 9 o
#> 2 table2008 9 b
#> 3 table2023 9 b
#> nonwhite_meaning
#> 1 Other (all non-white), named honestly by this vintage
#> 2 Black, per the macro's documentation; not independently verified
#> 3 risk-weighted average of Black, Asian, American Indian and Hispanic death rates, weighted by number at risk. NOT Black, despite the stratum code and despite the macro's own comment.
#> added
#> 1 <NA>
#> 2 <NA>
#> 3 2025-12-23