Wealth and Air Quality Linked to Autism Rates Across States

A nationwide state-level analysis finds that higher socioeconomic status and greater air pollution are the strongest, independent predictors of autism prevalence across U.S. states, together explaining about 55.7% of the variance; most other variables lose significance when SES and air pollution are controlled, with ADHD showing opposite patterns and the study noting limits on causal conclusions due to its cross-sectional design.