Rural Americans more likely to die prematurely (before 75); rural blacks and Native Americans' lives are the shortest

Premature death rate in counties by population and majority
race (University of Minnesota chart; click to enlarge it)

A new study shows that rural residents are more likely to die prematurely than urban residents, and people of color are more likely to die prematurely than non-Hispanic whites; rural African Americans and Native Americans have the shortest lives.

"The study is based on the rate of premature deaths (defined as before the age of 75), among non-Hispanic blacks and American Indian and Alaskan Native groups in comparison with non-Hispanic whites in every county (or similar jurisdiction) in the nation. The data also was applied to each county based on whether it's considered rural or urban," John Lundy reports for the Duluth News Tribune. "In terms of racial and ethnic composition, Native Americans are hit the hardest. In the 26 counties with a majority American Indian or Alaskan Native population, the premature death rate per 100,000 people is 16,255, according to the report, compared with 7,872 in the 2,767 counties with a majority non-Hispanic white population. The 99 counties with a majority Hispanic population fare even better, with a premature death rate of 7,693."

Carrie Henning-Smith, deputy director of the University of Minnesota's Rural Health Research Center and lead author of the study, said there are many barriers to good health in rural areas, such as fewer available jobs, slower economic recovery from the Great Recession, lack of health care facilities in rural areas, and transportation issues, Lundy reports.

The study analyzed data from the 2017 County Health Rankings on all U.S. counties and their equivalents, compiled by the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute. Racial and ethnic lifespan estimates came from the National Center for Health Statistics mortality files. Estimates for racial and ethnic composition of counties came from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. Rurality was defined by the nine-step urban influence codes of the Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.