Richest Black mothers more likely to die than poorest white mothers

Though maternal mortality (deaths per 100,000 live births) tends to go down as income levels go up, the graph below shows that even Black mothers in the highest income bracket are more likely to die in childbirth than any other race or income group.
Income brackets go from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

This data is for California only. National Bureau of Economic Research paper published September 2023. Authors: K Kennedy-Moulton, S Miller, P Persson, M Rossin-Slater, L Wherry, G Aldana.
Chart: Alicja Hagopian Source: NBER paper "Maternal and Infant Health Inequality: New Evidence from Linked Administrative Data"
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