A nonprofit anti-tobacco advocacy group’s latest survey shows Wichita tobacco retailers have a heavier presence in less affluent parts of the city than in wealthier ones.

Tobacco Free Wichita presented its findings at the Tobacco Marketing Summit at the Kansas Leadership Center this past week.

The study found six ZIP codes along the Interstate 135 corridor in Wichita — with household incomes generally between $22,000 and $39,000 — have 38 percent of the city’s tobacco retailers. Only 6 percent of the tobacco licenses were in the six wealthier ZIP codes on the east and west sides of town.

Tobacco Free Wichita’s chairwoman says the research shows that life expectancy in the U.S. is more likely dictated by a person’s ZIP code than genetic code.

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Associated Press information from: The Wichita Eagle