The average life expectancy for people in certain parts of New Orleans is just 54 years, according to a new report, meaning that residents there have about the same prospects as people in sub-Saharan African nations such as Cameroon and Angola. In other sections of town, people can expect to live an average of 80 years, putting them in the company of wealthier countries such as New Zealand and the Netherlands. Along with life expectancy, the report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Orleans PLACE MATTERS initiative analyzes public health across a wide range of measures, ranging from heart disease to violent crime, and maps the results by ZIP code. The results are sobering.
Read more at the Times-Picayune.