This disparity has increased steadily over the past 20 years, beginning in 1979 when the Minority rate was slightly less than the White rate. The racial disparity in mortality from coronary heart disease is greater among women than among men. Minority women presently have a 28.4 percent higher mortality rate than White women, up from a 9.8 percent difference in 1979. The present disparity between Minority and White men is 13.2 percent, a reversal of the disparity seen in 1979 when the heart disease mortality for Minority men was slightly less than for White men. A significant, even larger disparity exists by race in stroke mortality.
Minorities have a much higher death rate.
This disparity increased markedly from a 17.6 percent difference in 1979 to 48.7 percent in 1981. It has remained in the 40 to 50 percent range throughout the two decades. While almost two-thirds of the population in North Carolina live in urban areas, most of the counties are designated rural. North Carolina's current prosperity is not widely shared. Rural counties generally have a higher rate of poverty, with the rural population having less formal education.