SEPARATE BUT LETHAL - THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC SEGREGATION ON MORTALITY IN METROPOLITAN AMERICA

The increase in income inequality in the United States over the past 2 0 years has been accompanied by a pronounced increase in economic segr egation in urban areas. No research to date has analyzed the potential effects of such spatial segregation on mortality. To investigate thes e effects, the mortality experience of respondents aged 30 years and o lder on the 1986-94 National Health Interview Surveys residing in any one of 30 large metropolitan areas in the United States was analyzed. Concentrated poverty was associated with significantly elevated risk o f mortality, even after controlling for individual household income. C oncentrated affluence showed a consistent, protective effect only amon g the elderly. The effects were most pronounced among the pear, but we re not confined to them. Urban planning should take into account the e ffects associated with economic residential segregation.