Infant mortality reflects the overall health status of a population and indirectly is a measure of the effectiveness and availability of quality health care, particularly prenatal care.

Infant mortality in Westchester County was highest among African Americans, with 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019-21, and African Americans were the only major group to experience an increase from 2016-18, when the rate was 5.5. However, Westchester County's rate was below the state's and lower or similar to comparable counties.

Rates for other groups were notably lower in the county: Hispanics, 3.2, Whites, 2.0, and Asians, 0.9. Westchester County's rate among Hispanics is similar to rates for the state and Nassau County, higher than Putnam County and lower than Rockland County. These rates were steady for Whites and declining for Asians and Hispanics compared to 2016-18.

Racial disparities in infant mortality emerge from systems that perpetuate structural racism. Higher death rates among infants of color are directly tied to maternal access to prenatal care throughout pregnancy and quality of care. Research has shown that mothers of color are less likely to receive prenatal care in part because they tend to live in communities with fewer health care providers including neonatal services. While women of color from under-resourced communities gain access to health care via Medicaid, they are often underinsured. Discriminatory treatment by health care providers influences whether the health care needs of women of color are adequately addressed, putting mothers and their infants at higher risk of mortality. The racism experienced by expectant mothers of color in their everyday lives at work and in their neighborhoods (e.g. food insecurity, environmental toxins) place mothers and their infants at higher risk of premature death. The overall health of expectant mothers of color and access to comprehensive health care, including gynecological services before pregnancy, also contributes to premature infant death.

Rates are averaged over 3 years because some geographies or groups have small numbers, making it difficult to distinguish true changes from random fluctuations. Some data for Putnam County is not shown because the numbers are so low that the rate is considered unstable and not reported.