Big life expectancy gaps in neighborhoods of some of the largest U.S. cities

In 56 of the 500 largest U.S. cities, people in some neighborhoods can expect to live 20-30 years less than the rest of the area’s population, according to a new analysis. Chicago had the widest gap — of about 30 years — in life expectancy across neighborhoods. Washington, D.C., New York City, and New Orleans also topped the list with 25 years or more in differences in life expectancy, a finding that researchers attributed to higher rates of segregation among neighborhoods. On the other end of the spectrum, the cities with the least segregation also had smaller life expectancy gaps: The Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, which has a population that’s 85% white, had a gap of about 2.5 years between neighborhoods, while Lynwood, Calif., where the majority of the population is Hispanic, had about a five-year gap.