To better understand the connection between neighborhood health and life expectancy, the VCU Center on Society and Health created a new series of maps for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Commission to Build a Healthier America. By displaying life expectancy alongside common landmarks such as subway stops and highway exits, these maps illustrate the vastly different health outcomes experienced by Americans living just a few miles apart.
The maps, which depict life expectancy data for neighborhoods in the metropolitan areas of New Orleans; Washington, DC; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota; and the San Joaquin Valley in California, were developed using vital statistics obtained from state and local health agencies and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. VCU researchers, along with colleagues nationwide, used these data to calculate how long a newborn could expect to live based on population counts and death rates for the geographic area in which they were born.
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New Orleans, Louisiana: Life expectancy can vary by 25 years across neighborhoods
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Washington, DC: Life expectancy can vary by 7 years across subway stops
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Kansas City, Missouri: Life expectancy can vary by 14 years across highway stops
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Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota: Life expectancy can vary by 13 or more years along Interstate 94
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San Joaquin Valley, California: Life expectancy can vary by 12 years across highway stops
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