Burials and Cremations per Year
- We only assist with pauper, indigent or transient burials and cremations. Township Mortality in other income categories are not reflected in this chart.
- Median income in Perry Township has steadily risen since 2013, as older and cheaper housing has been gentrified or replaced by newer market rate construction.
- The combined information in 2 & 3 should indicate that higher death rates more common among lowest income populations should be decreasing as low-income populations decrease.
- The population of Perry Township is 53,000, of the 143,000 in Monroe County, or 37%. If an extrapolation holds true the numbers in our chart should be almost 3x for the entire indigent population of the county. Again, this only reflects indigent population increases in burials/cremations.
- During the first two COVID pandemic years, we have no detectable spike in burials/cremations, (or there is a collapse of deaths by other causes that was replaced by COVID, which is not likely). Nationally and in Indiana there were spikes in the first four months of 2022 According to the NY Times Covid dashboard, these spikes didn't occur in Monroe County, IN.
In a short summary I think we can say that whatever the reaction was to the Covid emergency, the actions seemed to have paid off for the extremely low-income/indigent population. On the other hand, whatever public health measures in general we are practicing with the same demographic regarding other causes don't seem to be having the same effect. Although our numbers seem to correlate with Opioid/Fentanyl numbers, this isn't a proof. A closer examination of the causes of death might indicate where specific weaknesses in community programming lie.
Dan Combs, Perry Township Trustee
To view a printable/downloadable copy of the Burial Chart and the Burial Chart Info, select the appropriate link below: