Big Cities Health Inventory: The Health of Urban USA

The importance of having state, county, and local health-related data has been recognized in a number of studies. The availability of local level data, both general and related to specific issues, continues to improve in this technological age. Among these are several reports and data sources that have been produced to describe the relationship between levels of urbanization and health.

The purpose of this document is to focus specifically on the health of people living in large cities in the United States. In so doing, the report attempts to increase knowledge of the issues large cities face and stimulate dialogue that will lead to a healthier city population. In addition to improving our understanding of the health in large cities, the data in this report will serve as a reference point to monitor cities’ progress in reaching the nation’s Year 2010 objectives.