The US County That Has One Of America's Highest Cancer Rates

When it comes to cancer rates in the U.S., some states have a higher rate than others. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2021, Kentucky has a rate of 509.9 new cases of cancer per 100,000 people each year, and not far behind in second and third place are Louisiana and Arkansas, respectively. But if we dig a little deeper, it turns out that the county with one of the highest rates of cancer in the country is Lawrence County in Arkansas. In Lawrence County, the cancer incidence rate is 594.1 per 100,000 people.

The high rate in Lawrence County can be attributed to a combination of environmental factors, as well as lifestyle choices. Because of this, Arkansas has one of the highest mortality rates in the U.S., and in Lawrence County, that rate is rising, per the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. "We know that ZIP code matters," executive director of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Georges Benjamin, told CNN in regards to the death rate disparity across the states. "We know very clearly that things such as educational attainment, access and utilization of things like tobacco, physical inactivity, nutrition, the location of if they have access to things like grocery stores, all those things matter at the county level and at the local level."

One of the biggest cancer-causing lifestyle habits is smoking — and people in Arkansas are big smokers. While West Virginia has the highest rate of smokers, at 21%, Arkansas isn't too far behind with a rate of 18.7%, according to the American Lung Association. In Lawrence County alone, the percentage of people who smoke, at 22%, is even higher than the overall state rate, per Aspire Arkansas. Considering the CDC reported that an estimated 11.6% of U.S. adults smoke, far lower than Lawrence County, Arkansas is definitely keeping cigarette companies in business.

Arkansas also finds itself with the third-highest obesity rate in the country. Although the county with the highest obesity rate, at 73%, is Arkansas County, Lawrence County is up there too, with a rate of 69%, per Aspire Arkansas. When looking at a map of the states with the highest food insecurity, meaning lack of access to proper and quality food, Arkansas comes in first place at 18.9%. Naturally, this doesn't help the state's obesity epidemic. 

If that weren't enough, 17.5% of people living in Arkansas admit to engaging in binge drinking on a regular basis, according to the CDC. Ultimately, when you combine these lifestyle choices — all of which have cancer-causing properties, per the World Health Organization — the cancer rates in both Lawrence County and Arkansas, as a whole, aren't completely surprising. It's also worth noting that Arkansas is fourth in the U.S. for heart disease at 224.1 per 100,000 people, per Statista.

While lifestyle choices are something that people in Lawrence County can try to change, there are also environmental factors that aren't doing them any favors. According to Newsweek, Arkansas ranks 34th out of the 50 states when it comes to healthcare accessibility. There are only 3.13 beds available for every 1,000 residents, and 12.8% of people delay seeing a doctor when needed due to the excessive price of healthcare.

Lawrence County, like the rest of Arkansas, is also up against it when it comes to pollutants and toxins that play a role in cancer rates. "Our state is an agricultural state," CARTI's medical director of clinical research, Dr. Sam Makhoul, told KNOE News. "In the past, we used a lot of pesticides and a lot of chemicals that allowed us to be what we are. But people did not know that these chemicals were going to, after a while, leak into the water and the food and be in our system." 

Lawrence County, specifically, has also experienced water contamination. According to a 2011 Public Health Assessment report, arsenic and other toxic metals have been found in the water and soil. Although the contamination have been linked to a company called Frit Industries — which is still in business — the report stated that due to the high number of smokers in Arkansas, it can't be proven, without a doubt, that the contamination is behind the increased rates of cancer in Lawrence County. 

First and foremost, you want to ditch the cigarettes (read how to conquer the effects of nicotine withdrawal when you do). In Arkansas, 36.1% of deaths are attributed to smoking-related cancer, per KY3. Considering 22% of people in Lawrence County smoke, that doesn't bode well for the mortality rate of the community. You also want to learn how to incorporate more whole and fewer processed foods into your diet and make an effort to be more physically active — both of these things can help combat obesity.

While some of the environmental factors can't be changed (like not having access to healthcare, either because of location or finances), trying to stay healthy and being aware of what's going on in your body is a step in the right direction. For example, drinking bottled water can help minimize the potential for ingesting contaminated water, if that's a concern based on where you live in Lawrence County.

What's important to realize is that no one is destined to become a statistic if they make strides to avoid that outcome. Although making lifestyle changes isn't easy, it's worth trying to limit the amount of "bad" things in your lifestyle so you can, ideally, surpass the mortality rate in Lawrence County and live a long and healthy life.