Leading Causes of Premature Mortality by Socioeconomic Status (SES)

This chart shows the top 5 causes of premature death for people living in ZIP codes with low/medium/high levels of socioeconomic status (SES). Residents of ZIP codes with low socioeconomic status (SES) have significantly higher premature mortality rates than the rest of the Finger Lakes region. While the top causes are generally similar across the socioeconomic spectrum, the years of potential life lost rates are generally much higher in the areas with low SES. Drug overdose and heart disease appeared in all 3 groups but had significantly higher rates in areas of low SES. Homicide was only present in the low SES group as the 3rd leading cause of premature mortality, while suicide was only in the high SES groups as the 5th leading cause of premature mortality. 

Methodology note: Years of potential life lost (YPLL) is a widely used measure to assess the rate of premature mortality. YPLL places a larger weight on the deaths of younger people, in contrast with overall mortality statistics which are dominated by deaths of the elderly. The YPLL rates in Common Ground Health analyses are derived using 75 years as the baseline. A death at age 65 has YPLL of 10, where as a death at age 35 has a YPLL of 40. The rates are calculated per 100,000 population and are age-sex adjusted to account for differences in population distribution.