USDA study: Working-age people living in rural areas have 43% higher mortality rate

The mortality rate for those of prime working-age population (ages 25–54) living in rural America was 43% higher than in urban areas in 2019, up from a 6% gap in 1999, according to a recent federal study (Source: “Rural Ohioans 43% more likely to die younger than people in big cities. Here's why,” Columbus Dispatch, March 25).
 
According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people living in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke than those living in urban areas, the report found.
 
The report points to poor access to quality health care as a primary cause of the shortened lifespans of rural residents. Availability of doctors' offices, hospitals and emergency rooms vary by population, and lower-populated rural areas may not be able to financially support quality health care services, the study found. As a result, experts say too many rural hospitals are closing because they can't cover their costs.