Selected Socio-economic Characteristics of
Eastern North Carolina’s Population

The maps and tables accessible by this page's links describe selected socio-economic characteristics of Eastern North Carolina's population. Poverty and education are two of the most important variables when considering mortality and morbidity patterns. Rurality (described here as percent urban), measures the geographic effect of isolation, lack of infrastructure, and access to health care resources. The percent of non-married heads of household, especially female-headed households, is an important measure of social cohesion that correlates strongly with mortality patterns. Social capital and community investment is expressed here using per pupil expenditure and county tax data. These variables combine as important socio-economic determinants of health outcomes for the region.

Data for the economic and non-married heads of household maps are from US Census Bureau’s Summary File 3. The per pupil expenditure map data are from North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction via the North Carolina’s State Center for Health Statistics website. Data for the county tax maps are from the North Carolina State Data Center’s “Log into North Carolina” (LINC) website.

The Center for Health Services Research and Development periodically provides internships for interested East Carolina University geography majors. Jessica Caine and Marc Crawford, under the direction of James Wilson, created all of the maps found in this page's links during an internship for the spring of 2003.