Headwaters Economics is researching how western communities grow or shrink: through births, deaths, in-migration, and out-migration. While our report is not yet completed, in light of the upcoming All Hallows’ Eve it’s time to take break from our regular research and look at where the dead most recently were living.
But even the dead tell tales, or socioeconomic stories, given our line of work. The following table lists the 20 counties with the highest average death rates in the western U.S. between 2003 and 2012.