Ranked Red State vs. Blue State data of teen mortality by suicide, homicide and accidents, per 100,000 residents.

Despite their reputation for family, religious, and moral values, Red States show significantly higher rates of youth mortality by homicide, suicide, and accidents compared to the supposedly more secular Blue States.

Teen mortality by homicide, suicide and accidents is a public health metric that differs strongly between the Red States and Blue States. Red States here are those won by President Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election and the Blue States are those won by Senator Kerry. Much has been written about the divided U.S. electorate. The data presented here, and the cultural differences they suggest, raise more questions than answers. The questions should prompt a national discussion of the factors that are responsible for these sad statistics.

Astonishingly, the ten states with the highest rates of teen fatalities by suicide, homicide, and fatal accidents were all won by President Bush. Those states are Alaska, Arkansas, Alabama, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Arizona.

The ten states with the lowest rates of teen fatalities by homicide, suicide, and accidents were all won by Senator Kerry. Those states are New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Hawaii, California, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

The state with the highest rate is Alaska, the lowest New Jersey. Alaska has the lowest population density, New Jersey has the highest population density. What other factors are responsible for these differences?

The next graph shows per capita state spending on mental health programs. The "Blue States" won by John Kerry had average funding of $110.21, while the "Red States" won by George Bush spent an average of $59.10 per person. From the two graphs, it is clear that the states with lower funding of mental health programs generally have higher teen mortality rates.

Year 2001 Mental Health Spending (per capita) by States Won By Bush or Kerry in 2004

Per Capita Spending

Kerry State Average: $110.21; Bush State Average: $59.10.

Note: A correlation of 1.0 would be a maximum correlation between the two variables, correlation of -1.0 would be a perfect inverse correlation between the two variables, and 0.0 would indicate no correlation between the two variables.

Here is a list of the top ten states in Mental Health Funding and their (rank) in teen mortality. All states except Montana were won by Kerry. 

1-New York (47), 2-Hawaii (43), 3-Pennsylvania (29), 4-Vermont (46), 5-Connecticut (41), 6-Maryland (19), 7-Montana (37), 8-New Hampshire (41), 9-Maine (19), 10-Massachussets (48).

<P>Median Value of State Spending: $72.50

<P>Kerry States above the Median: 17

<P>Kerry States below the Median: 2

<P>Bush States above the Median: 8

<P>Bush States below the Median: 23

Conclusion:

The data above call into question the definition of "compassionate conservative." It appears that in states where mental health services are more adequately funded, teen mortality rates are lower. The under-funding of such programs along with greater reliance on church-based social programs and adherence to fundamentalist Christian social mores correlates to higher rates of teen mortality in the Red States. A few questions:

What is it like to be a teenager with an unwanted pregnancy and go to high school in a Red State, compared to a Blue State?

What is it like to be a gay teenager in an average Red State high school, compared to an average Blue State high school?

What differences are there in teen access to guns in the Red States, compared to Blue States?

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