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Socioeconomic Status as a Risk Factor in Economic and Physical Harm from COVID-19: Evidence from the United States

Author

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  • Jonathan Rothwell
  • Ember Smith

Abstract

We provide an empirical summary of the relationship between socioeconomic status and the economic and disease burden of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic in the United States. We rely on large-scale public data, including a zip code database we constructed from public records, to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk of economic harm, COVID-19 infection, or COVID-19-related death. We find that low levels of education and income are associated with 1.3 to 2 times higher risk of economic harm and 2 to 3 times greater physical harm. Education and income have a similar effect size to racial and ethnic disparities, with many Americans of color facing worse outcomes. Using Gallup data to investigate potential mechanisms, we find that socioeconomic status is not related to preventative behavior like mask use but is related to occupation-related exposure, which puts lower-socioeconomic-status households at risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan Rothwell & Ember Smith, 2021. "Socioeconomic Status as a Risk Factor in Economic and Physical Harm from COVID-19: Evidence from the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 698(1), pages 12-38, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:698:y:2021:i:1:p:12-38
    DOI: 10.1177/00027162211062137
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Raj Chetty & Nathaniel Hendren & Maggie R Jones & Sonya R Porter, 2020. "Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: an Intergenerational Perspective [“Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in the US Over Two Centuries,”]," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(2), pages 711-783.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jie Zhuo & Nicholas Harrigan, 2026. "Political Orientation and Public Health: The Evolving Relationship Between Republican Vote Share on COVID-19 Mortality Across Pandemic Waves," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 1-26, January.

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