Death by Numbers

By Elisabeth Anderson, M. Bilal Lakhani & Lillian Rizzo

We know this is not necessarily what you want to be thinking about or talking about.  But we’re going to tell you anyway.

Because, well, it comes to us all.

Heart disease leads. More Brooklyn residents die of heart disease than any other cause.  It’s followed by cancer, pneumonia/flu, diabetes, stroke, and AIDS.

Murder is down. There were 88 murders in the Brooklyn South precinct in 2010, compared to 90 in 2001 and 104 in 1998.  In Brooklyn North, the decrease was significant between 2001 and 2010, with murders dropping from 166 to 134.  But the 2010 figure is pretty much on par with 1998, when 135 murders occurred.

Women at risk. The rate of femicide, or murder against women, is second highest in the city in Brooklyn.  Only the Bronx had more female murder victims in 2008.  That stat is the same when considering intimate partners murdering the women with whom they’re involved.  One in 100,000 Brooklyn women is a victim of murder at the hands of an intimate partner.

Infant mortality. The Brooklyn infant mortality rate may have declined between 1998 and 2007, from 7.5 per 1,000 live births to 5.4 per 1,000, but it is still the second highest in the city boroughs.  And Community District 305, which includes East New York and Starett City, has the highest infant mortality rate in all of New York City; 10.2 out of every 1,000 babies born there any given year won’t make it to their first birthday.

City shares suicide burden. Thirty-one percent of the city’s residents live in Brooklyn, and yet Brooklynites account for just 23% of the city’s annual suicides; there were 993 suicides in the borough between 2008 and 2008.  However, these stats are shared fairly evenly with Manhattan and Queens, which each claim 24% of the city’s suicide victim residence.

Brooklyn is home to a large group of service providers, whose work helps lay the deceased to rest.  Here’s a sampling.

Number of…

Funeral homes: 232

Crematories: 73

Pet cemeteries and/or crematories: 3

Florists providing funeral arrangements: 502

Limousine services: 422

Ambulance and hearse services: 2

Sources: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Bureau of Vital Statistics, Bureau of Epidemiology Services & Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health), NYPD CompStat, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, YellowPages.com Business Listings, Reference USA, New York City Department of City Planning.

Death by Numbers
By Elisabeth Anderson, M. Bilal Lakhani & Lillian Rizzo
We know this is not necessarily what you want to be thinking about or talking
about. But we’re going to tell you anyway.
Because, well, it comes to us all.
Heart disease leads. More Brooklyn residents die of heart disease than any other
cause. It’s followed by cancer, pneumonia/flu, diabetes, stroke, and AIDS.
Murder is down. There were 88 murders in the Brooklyn South precinct in 2010,
compared to 90 in 2001 and 104 in 1998. In Brooklyn North, the decrease was
significant between 2001 and 2010, with murders dropping from 166 to 134. But
the 2010 figure is pretty much on par with 1998, when 135 murders occurred.
Women at risk. The rate of femicide, or murder against women, is second highest
in the city in Brooklyn. Only the Bronx had more female murder victims in 2008.
That stat is the same when considering intimate partners murdering the women
with whom they’re involved. One in 100,000 Brooklyn women is a victim of murder
at the hands of an intimate partner.
Infant mortality. The Brooklyn infant mortality rate may have declined between
1998 and 2007, from 7.5 per 1,000 live births to 5.4 per 1,000, but it is still the
second highest in the city boroughs. And Community District 305, which includes
East New York and Starett City, has the highest infant mortality rate in all of New
York City; 10.2 out of every 1,000 babies born there any given year won’t make it to
their first birthday.
City shares suicide burden. Thirty-one percent of the city’s residents live in
Brooklyn, and yet Brooklynites account for just 23% of the city’s annual suicides;
there were 993 suicides in the borough between 2008 and 2008. However, these
stats are shared fairly evenly with Manhattan and Queens, which each claim 24% of
the city’s suicide victim residence.
Brooklyn is home to a large group of service providers, whose work helps lay the
deceased to rest. Here’s a sampling.
Number of…
Funeral homes: 232
Crematories: 73
Pet cemeteries and/or crematories: 3
Florists providing funeral arrangements: 502
Limousine services: 422
Ambulance and hearse services: 2
Sources: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Bureau of
Vital Statistics, Bureau of Epidemiology Services & Bureau of Maternal, Infant
and Reproductive Health), NYPD CompStat, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,
YellowPages.com Business Listings, Reference USA, New York City Department of City
Planning.

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