Influence Environmental Exposures U.S. Census data can be used to assess characteristics of women which may affect health. Previous studies have shown a link between breast cancer incidence and higher socioeconomic status.
Socioeconomic status is a descriptive term that relates to an individual's education and wealth.
Census data on level of education and home value can be used to approximate socioeconomic status. Silent Spring Institute researchers hope to tease out the reason for the relationship between socioeconomic status and breast cancer. Although neither wealth nor level of education causes breast cancer, researchers believe that women with higher socioeconomic status may share environmental exposures or lifestyle factors that increase risk. The maps on this page show information from the most recent US census taken in 1990. For printer-friendly maps, or if you are using Internet Explorer 3.0, Netscape 2.0, or other browsers that do not support JavaScript, please click here to view maps .