Differences in Geographic Patterns of Absolute and Relative Black–White Disparities in Stroke Mortality in the United States

Abstract

Background In the US, racial disparities in stroke death rates are particularly large among working age adults, for whom the stroke death rate in 2019 among non-Hispanic Black adults aged 35 to 64 years was 2.4 times that of their non-Hispanic White counterparts (1,2). These national disparities occur in the context of marked local variation in stroke death rates among both Black and White populations. Within the Stroke Belt (a band of southern US states with high stroke mortality), stroke death rates for both Black and White populations are persistently high (3). However, county-level racial disparities in stroke death rates have not been documented. These data are critical to addressing racial inequities in stroke mortality by shaping public health agendas, engaging communities, and guiding prioritization and development of programs, interventions, and policies (2,4). Therefore, we calculated race-specific stroke death rates in 2019 for adults aged 35 to 64 years and mapped the geographic variation of the largest absolute and relative Black–White disparities in stroke death rates (Map A) and of the highest stroke death rates for Black populations and White populations (Map B).