Middle-aged whites in the South dying at higher rates

Income inequality, wage stagnation, manufacturing jobs gone and not coming back.

Those are a few of the possible reasons middle-aged whites are dying at higher rates that other racial and ethic groups, according to a new study. The risk is especially high in the Deep South, particularly among whites with lower levels of education.

In addition to suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, middle-aged whites between 45-54, are dying at even higher rates from heart disease, diabetes and respiratory illnesses, the new Commonwealth Fund study found. For other racial and ethnic groups, including blacks and non-white Hispanics, mortality rates are falling, while those for middle-aged, working class whites are rising.