Wrong Zip Code Can Mean Shorter Life Expectancy
The Treme neighborhood is only a few
miles from the Lakeview neighborhood in
New Orleans, but in terms of life
expectancy those few miles might as well
be worlds away.
While residents in Lakeview have a life
expectancy of approximately 80 years,
which is slightly more than the U.S.
average of 79 years, the life expectancy
for Treme residents is only 54.5 years,
which is lower than the life expectancy in
Cambodia, Gabon or Guinea.
A series of maps recently released by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation , the
largest U.S. philanthropy organization
devoted to public health, was designed to
draw attention to the fact that, in many
cities, different neighborhoods can have
vastly different life expectancies, some on
par with the life expectancies of
developing countries.
In addition to New Orleans, the
foundation also released maps for
Washington, D.C., San Joaquin Valley,
Calif., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and
Kansas City, Mo.
For Washington, different metro stops
corresponded to the different life
expectancies, while in San Joaquin, living
off the right exit meant getting a few extra
years.
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