Atlas of Cancer Mortality
Results--Measures of Geographic Variation
To assess geographic variability, mortality rates were calculated
for counties and SEAs.
Appendix Map 1
shows the boundaries for the
states, SEAs, and counties, which vary greatly in area and
population size. Based on 1980 census figures (the approximate
mid-point of the 1970-94 study period), the largest white
populations were clustered in counties and SEAs in the northeast,
midwest, and west coast areas, with lightly populated areas in the
Plains and Rocky Mountain states
(Appendix Maps 2a-c).
The black
populations tended to be concentrated across the South and in urban
areas in the East and along the west coast, with few blacks residing
in large portions of the rest of the country. All 508 SEAs had at
least 10,000 whites, while almost 90 percent had at least 100,000.
In contrast, 47 percent of the SEAs had fewer than 10,000 blacks.
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