Increased social cohesion within neighborhoods has been associated with better mental and physical health. Social cohesion is often measured via self-report data of an individual’s perception of the community, but features of the built environment may also serve as proxies for neighborhood social conditions. The recent and rapidly expanding body of research surrounding the human microbiome has presented new approaches to understanding human health at a subclinical level. In this study, microbiome data from multiple body sites were collected from autopsied bodies of Detroit, Michigan (n = 30), in 2014 and 2015. Spatial data on neighborhood built environment characteristics were compiled to create two indices: the Detroit Index of Urban Decay (DIUR) and Detroit Index of Environmental Recovery (DIER). Microbiome data was then linked to the indices using the home location of the autopsied bodies. Results showed the diversity of the microbiome of the nares to be significantly and consistently associated with lower DIUR and increased DIER. Only the diversity of the ears did not have any significant relationship to DIUD and DIER. In addition, age was found not to be associated with microbial diversity, in contrast to existing literature. By investigating the relationship between the diversity of the human microbiome and neighborhood conditions, this research indicates that these relationships warrant further exploration for their potential to serve as a vector for promoting both human and ecological health at an accessible, subclinical level.
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