A new study published by the Associated Press of data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that a person’s address can indicate how long he or she will live, writes Rita Giordano for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

For example, people living in Birmingham, Chester County, where the median income is more than $166,000, are likely to live to at least 89. However, this drops to 67 in Delaware County’s Chester Township, where the median income is around $40,000.

“Presenting data like this is very informative because it presents in a very stark way how economic inequality and inequality of opportunity can manifest itself in huge differences in life expectancy,” said James Ziliak, economist and director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky.

Lower-income Americans can find themselves basically imprisoned in substandard housing in areas with failing schools. This has a profound impact on their health.

The study found that, within a census tract, a median income increase of $10,000 translates into living an additional six months. However, a 10 percent increase in unemployment results in living a year and a half less.

Read more about the study in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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