Across 18 coal counties in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, residents die younger, get sicker, and have fewer doctors than almost anywhere else in America. McDowell County, WV has a life expectancy of 66.3 years, 12 years below the national average. Owsley County, KY has a child poverty rate of 44%, nearly triple the US rate. Every one of these 18 counties carries a federal primary care shortage designation. This dashboard pulls from 7 independent federal sources (County Health Rankings, HRSA, CDC, FRED, Health Center data) to build a single argument: these communities need targeted investment, not sympathy.
The Case for Rural Health Investment in Appalachian Coal Counties
Eighteen coal counties spanning Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia face a compounding crisis of premature death, chronic disease, provider shortage, and deep poverty that far exceeds national benchmarks. This dashboard assembles the evidence from 7 independent federal sources to build an undeniable case for targeted health funding in these communities.
Premature Death Rate by County vs. National Average
Years of potential life lost per 100,000 for each of the 18 Appalachian coal counties, sorted worst first. The dashed benchmark row ("--- US Average ---")
Life Expectancy by County vs. National Average
How long people live in each county compared to the national average of 78.4 years
Child Poverty by County vs. National Average
The percentage of children living below the poverty line in each county, compared to the national average of 16.2%. Every county exceeds the benchmark, most by double or more
Primary Care HPSA Severity Scores by County
The federal government scores each shortage area from 0 to 25 (HPSA score), where higher means more severe. A score above 18 qualifies a county for the most urgent federal assistance programs. Shows the average score for each county. The "Crisis Threshold" series at 18 makes it easy to see which counties qualify for the highest-priority funding
Population per Primary Care Physician vs. Premature Death Rate
Each dot is a county. X-axis shows how many residents share a single primary care physician; y-axis shows the premature death rate. Counties in the upper-right quadrant have both the fewest doctors and the most deaths. The national benchmark is roughly 1,310 people per physician and 7,300 premature deaths per 100K.