Residence and income inequality: effects on mortality among U.S. counties.

摘要

The objective of this study is to examine the effects of income inequality on residential differentials in mortality. Using data from the Compressed Mortality File for counties in the coterminous USA for 1990, we estimate weighted least squares models of total mortality for 3067 counties, and separately for metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Mortality is lower in non-metropolitan counties than in metropolitan counties, once rates are standardized for age, sex, and race. Income inequality exerts stronger effects in non-metro counties, an effect that persists when per capita income, median household size, and racial composition are controlled. The percentage of the population that is black exerts an independent effect on mortality in both metro and non-metro counties.