Did coal mine closure increase deaths of despair in the rural USA

In the USA, the coal industry has undergone significant contraction over the last several years as renewables and unconventional oil and gas have been more widely deployed. At the same time, life expectancy has declined for working-age non-Hispanic white Americans, particularly those without a college education and living in rural areas - this decline in life expectancy has been linked to 'deaths of despair' related to alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide. Changes in traditional economic sectors like manufacturing and mining may be a root cause of this surprising rise in mortality. In this analysis, we examine how coal mine closures have impacted deaths of despair from 2002-2015. Results suggest that coal mine closure does not increase mortality due to alcohol, drugs or suicide at the county level, implying that the rise of deaths of despair may be less rooted in changes in the mining sector than previously theorised. More broadly, these results suggest that accounts that point to the poor economic fortunes of rural USA as the primary cause of deaths of despair are over-simplified.