Satisfaction with life depends greatly on levels of well-being. While some define wellbeing as the absence of disease, it can also mean feeling able to make positive changes and improvements. Race and income can affect wellbeing levels in NYC. Low birthweight impacts black babies at a rate 2x that of white ones. This speaks to the earliest stages of wellbeing. Sugary drink consumption, which contributes to obesity, also affects black and Hispanic populations at higher rates than others. Smoking, which is now directly linked to lung cancer, disproportionately affects those at the lowest ends of the income ladder. Similarly, exercise, known to be one of the best forms of preventive medicine, is not practiced as often among those in the bottom income groups as those at the top.

To understand Wellbeing in the context of inequality, we used four indicators:

• Race & Low Birthweight
• Race & Sugary Drink Consumption
• Income & Smoking
• Income & Exercise

Look at the chart to your right for an overall picture of this topic, and then explore each indicator and the scores in context for more detail and additional findings.