Which factors best explain the regional variation in sick-listing and early retirement? Data from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency is fitted against variables describing different regional characteristics that have been linked to sickness insurance consumption in the literature. Results, in line with earlier empirical investigation, suggest that particularly the employment rate, the populations‟ age, and its wealth are strong determinants of regional insurance usage. Two further factors, though less discussed in the literature, appear to have some relevance as well: A high share of large workplaces is found to predict higher rates of early retirement, while a large share of foreign-born predict lower sick-listing rates. Both effects have been found before, though the first one perhaps not in Swedish cross section analysis and the latter does not appear to be well understood in the literature. A tentative explanation for it is given here.