The Globe Post, June 13, 2019: Life expectancy gaps in US cities linked to racial segregation: Study
An analysis by the Department of Population Health at New York University’s School of Medicine, using data from the City Health Dashboard, showed that of the 500 cities across the country with over 66,000 residents, life expectancy varied the most in cities that have higher levels of racial segregation.
Chicago had the largest life expectancy gap of 30.1 years among its population, while also being ranked as one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. And in New York, a person living in East Harlem has a life expectancy of 71.2 years, while a few blocks away on the Upper East Side the average life expectancy is 89.9 years. New York is also second on the list of the most segregated cities in America according to the U.S Census Bureau’s 2013-2017 American Community Survey.
“We’ve known for a while that conditions in our neighborhoods can have a profound influence on how long and how well we live. But we were surprised to see just how large the gap in life expectancy can be between neighborhoods, and how strong the link was between life expectancy and segregation, across all different kinds and sizes of cities,” says Benjamin Spoer, from the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health.
Why Is Racial Segregation Still An Issue In 2019? From Jim Crow to redlining to discriminatory mortgage lending policies, segregation has always been a part of the fabric of America. But as the country advances and economic opportunities increase neighborhoods with majority minorities still feel the impact of segregation and the lack of help to combat it.
