. 2016 Aug;106(8):1477–1482. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303233

TABLE 1—

Estimated Average Returns on Investment in California County Departments of Public Health by Using 2 Values of a Statistical Life and Constant Total County Public Health Expenditures for a Single Base Period: United States, 2001 to 2008–2009

	Discount Rates
Summed Present Value of a Statistical Life	0%	3%	5%	7%
A. Avoided deaths over 10 periods ($billions)
US Environmental Protection Agency	283.84	259.45	245.25	232.43
US Department of Transportation	261.96	239.45	226.34	214.50
B. Improved health status over 4 periods ($billions)	9.01	8.97	8.95	8.93
Return on $1 investment^a
US Environmental Protection Agency	$88.21	$80.77	$76.44	$72.53
US Department of Transportation	$81.55	$74.68	$70.68	$67.07

Note. All amounts expressed in 2010 constant dollars. There is only 1 available value of improved health status, so this is not varied in the analysis.

^{^a}

(A+B–$3.28 billion)/$3.28 billion.