Background: This study evaluated the relationship between income inequality and all-cause mortality in the 100 counties of North Carolina.
Methods: Mortality data for 1985 to 1994 came from the National Center for Health Statistics and household income data from the 1990 Census. Associations between county-level income inequality and age-adjusted, all-cause mortality rates were evaluated in stratified and regression analyses.
Results: Stratified analyses suggest that all-cause mortality was directly related to income inequality in all 100 counties and in non-metropolitan statistical area (MSA) counties. This relationship was statistically significant, controlling for per capita income in regression analyses for all age groups except > or =65 years among all 100 counties and for all ages combined and for ages 35 to 64 among non-MSA counties.
Conclusions: A relationship between income inequality and all-cause mortality previously identified nationally among states and MSAs was also found among all counties and non-MSA counties of North Carolina in 1985 to 1994.