Changes in geographic accessibility to mammography by state and rural-urban status, United States, 2006-2022

Although mammography is widely available in the United States, differences in accessibility in rural and urban areas and changes over time are not well described. In this study, we estimated the number and proportion of women aged 45-84 years who had limited travel time-based geographic accessibility to mammography by urban-rural status and state in the contiguous United States in 2006 and 2022. The proportion of women aged 45-84 years with limited accessibility to mammography did not substantially change from 2006 (12.7%; representing 7.5 million women) to 2022 (12.2%; 8.2 million women). Accessibility to mammography varied by state, but in 10 states, more than 26% of the statewide female population aged 45-84 years had limited accessibility in 2022. This proportion was substantially higher in rural areas (50.6% overall; >= 50% in 28 states in 2022) than in urban areas (3.0% overall). Increasing accessibility to mammography could increase utilization of breast cancer screening and, potentially, improve breast cancer survival.

Automated summary

The accessibility to mammography in the United States varies between rural and urban areas. Despite the availability of mammography, a significant proportion of women continue to have limited accessibility, especially in rural areas. Improving accessibility could lead to increased utilization of breast cancer screening.