The Impact of Poverty and Place on Life Expectancy
The gap in life expectancy between rich and poor Americans has increased in the past 15 years, but low-income people in affluent cities such as San Francisco and New York are living longer than their counterparts elsewhere, according to a study of more than a billion Social Security and tax records. A team of researchers led by Stanford University’s Raj Chetty found that since 2001, life expectancy has increased by 2 to 3 years for the wealthiest Americans, but has barely changed for the poorest 5 percent. Chetty says that the findings show that low-income Americans are not receiving adequate benefits from Social Security and Medicare, contributing to their shorter lifespans.