The authors relied on population-level data from the US Census Bureau, National Center for Health Statistics and National Vital Statistics System to estimate mortality and population demographics across 3,110 USA counties between 2000 and 2021. In their analysis, the authors leveraged some metrics that were originally considered when defining the eight Americas, including county-level income per capita and educational attainment. However, by considering additional factors such as Hispanic or Latino identity, racial segregation, and metropolitan status, the authors were able to assign each county to one of ten Americas. Most of these subgroups had counterparts from the previous list of eight Americas, although there were two additional groups (termed Americas 2 and 5) that broadly represented Latino populations throughout the USA.
Dwyer-Lindgren et al. reported that, in 2000, life expectancy was lowest (about 70.5–72.3 years) for Americas 6, 7, 9 and 10, which represent groups of Black Americans and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals. America 1 (Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander individuals) had the highest life expectancy of about 83.1 years, which indicates a difference of around 12.6 years between groups. This disparity in life expectancy among Americas expanded to approximately 13.9 years in 2010, and around 20.4 years by 2021. Most individuals in most Americas experienced an increase of about 0.1–4.2 years in life expectancy from 2000 to 2019, and some of the highest gains (about 2.0–4.2 years) were made by groups of Black Americans in Americas 6 and 7. By contrast, longevity among American Indian or Alaska Native individuals (America 10) actually decreased by approximately 2.1 years during this same time period. Life expectancy also decreased among all ten Americas during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects data collected from 2019 to 2021. However, the extent of this decline varied between Americas and ranged anywhere from about 1.9 to 6.6 years; Black, Latino and American Indian and Alaska Native individuals (Americas 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10) reported some of the most extreme decreases in lifespan.
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