Since poverty is 1 economic variable that may be related to cultural disintegration, it was hypothesized that US Indian Health Service areas with relatively high or low rates of poverty should have relatively high or low outward (homicide rate minus the suicide rate) & general aggression (homicide rate plus the suicide rate) scores. However, it was found that poverty was not related to either of these. This raises questions about social disintegration & aggression among Native Americans.