Cancerville, USA: Shocking interactive map reveals hotspots where young people are worst hit by disease - see rates in your county READ MORE: Heartbreaking reality of young patients being hit with colon cancer By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 16:40, 16 August 2024 | Updated: 17:13, 16 August 2024 e-mail 27 View comments An official government map shows America's biggest hotspots for young cancer patients. The data comes amid a nationwide surge of the disease in Americans under 50, even those who appear relatively fit and healthy .
The map, based on the latest 2021 data from the National Cancer Institute, shows the rates of cancer incidences per 100,000 residents under age 50. The figures were collected from over 2,500 US counties, though there was missing data for Kansas and Indiana . Your browser does not support iframes.
Rounding out the top five were all rural counties in the South and Midwest. Union County, Florida , had the highest rate of early-onset cancer, with 430 cases per 100,000 people. Southwest of Jacksonville, the rural area with just 15,000 residents has historically led the country in lung, oral, colorectal, and skin cancers.
Health officials believe this could be due to high smoking rates and a lack of health care funding in the area, as well as one in six residents living in poverty. Poverty is linked to poor diet, poor sleep, high alcohol consumption and other factors that raise the risk of cancer. Fisher County, Texas , had the .