Exploring the Association Between Minimum Wage Policy, Income Inequality, and Obesity Rates in US Counties

Hossein Zare, Khushbu Balsara, Nicholas S. Meyerson, Paul Delgado, Benjo Delarmente, Rachael McCleary, Roland Thorpe, Darrell Gaskin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: To examine the interaction between minimum wage policy, income inequality, and obesity rates among U.S. counties, and how this relationship is shaped by policy, place, and racial/ethnic composition in a county. Methods: We used the County Health Rankings Data for obesity ratio (measured by Body Mass Index ≥ 30 kg/m2) in US counties and combined it with the American Community Survey to include the Gini coefficient (GC) and population characteristics. The analytical sample included 3129 counties between 2015 and 2019. We ran several sets of regression analyses, controlling for county characteristics, access to healthy foods, and minimum wage categories as a policy influencer on the obesity ratio. Results: In total, 31.7% of the population were obese, with wide variations across counties; during this time, counties’ average GC was 0.442. Our findings showed that in the lack of any other predictors, GC has a positive association with the county obesity ratio (OLS 0.147, CI 0.122–0.173). Counties with minimum wage between $7.26–$9.0 and $9 + had lower obesity ratios by − 0.6 and − 2.8 percentage points, respectively, and counties with lower access to healthy foods had higher obesity ratio (Coeff = 0.022, CI 0.019–0.025). Conclusions: Income inequality is positively associated with the obesity ratio in counties. Access to healthy foods and state minimum wage policy predict obesity rates, with a lack of healthy foods increasing the ratio, while a higher minimum wage reduces it.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalJournal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • Food access
  • Gini coefficient
  • Income inequality
  • Minimum wage
  • Obesity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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