America's Health Rankings, United Health Foundation Logo

Summary

Low Disparities1

  • Between females3 and males3 for child poverty
  • Between American Indian/Alaska Native3 and white3 for cancer
  • Between those with less than a high school education3 and some college education3 for diabetes

High Disparities

  • Between Black3 and Hispanic3 for premature death
  • Between those with a high school education2 and college graduates3 for smoking
  • Between American Indian/Alaska Native2 and white3 for severe housing problems

[1] Low disparities within a state does not indicate that all populations are doing well. Consider rates in comparison to national averages.
[2] Rates worse than national average.
[3] Rates same or better than national average.

Highlights

  • 18% increase in Dedicated Health Care Providers for American Indian/Alaska Native adults between 2011-2013 and 2017-2019 from 58.6% to 69.1%
  • 24% decrease in those Less Than a High School Education in non-metropolitan areas between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 from 17.6% to 13.3%.
  • 21% increase in Flu Vaccination rates for adults in college graduates between 2011-2013 and 2017-2019 from 39.6% to 48.0%
  • 10% increase in Premature Death in females between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 from 5,964 to 6,628 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population.
  • 39% increase in rate of Frequent Mental Distress in male adults between 2011-2013 and 2017-2019 from 7.1% to 9.9%.
  • 46% increase in rate of Poverty in households headed by an adult with some college education between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 from 5.9% to 8.6%.

Trends

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Income Inequality

Income inequality measures the ratio of median household income of the 20% richest to the 20% poorest. A high ratio indicates greater income inequality. Research demonstrates an association between greater income disparity and poorer population health.
In Alaska, income inequality has increased since 2011. Alaska’s ratio is currently lower than the national ratio.
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