Metro Detroit's Low-Income Residents Die Sooner, Researchers Say

A recent study ranks the Metro Detroit area at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to poor residents' lifespans — No. 95 out of 100.

The Health Inequality Project was published in April by the Journal of the American Medical Association. It pegged Wayne County as having the lowest 77-year-old expected lifespan. Metro Detroit's results came in just shy of 78 years, reported The Detroit News. Findings are based on 40-year-old, low-income residents.

"Low-income people fare better in Queens, New York, where they are expected to live to age 83; Florida’s Miami Dade County, where they live to 81; and Chicago’s Cook County, 80," said The Detroit News story.

Researchers cited a strong, well-established link between a person's income and how long he or she lives. The study separated people into four monetary brackets, with those earning less than $28,000 per year in the lowest tier.

For insight on the findings, The Detroit News turned to Derek Chapman, associate director of research at Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health.

“We’ve got 69-year expectancy (in parts of Detroit.) That is just a little bit worse than in Russia and North Korea,” he said. “That is a sobering look at where our country fits.”

Check out the full article to learn about the dramatic differences among Wayne County zip codes.