Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Health: US disparity

Friday 05 December 1997 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man living in Washington DC, the capital of the richest country in the world, has a life expectancy of only 62 years, barely higher than if he lived in many Third World countries. But a man living less than 20 miles away, in Virginia's prosperous Fairfax County, can expect to live more than 15 years longer.

This is one of the preliminary findings of a study being conducted jointly by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It notes that the disparity between the best and worst life expectancy has been growing, with the lowest 2 per cent registering no increase since 1980. The income gap has also widened over the same period.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in