Death Rate by State

Understanding mortality rates across various states offers critical insights into health outcomes, public health risks, and the potential influences exerted by local factors, such as access to healthcare services, socioeconomic conditions, and environmental concerns. Using a standard measure of the number of deaths per 100 thousand residents allows us to make like-for-like comparisons between states.

• Southern states dominate the top ranks in terms of death rate, with Mississippi having the highest mortality rate at 1138.7 deaths per 100 thousand residents, followed closely by Alabama and West Virginia.
• The states with the lowest death rates are located in the West and Northeast, particularly Hawaii and California, indicating better health outcomes.
• Midwestern states like Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri also have high death rates, which may be influenced by factors such as lower healthcare access, higher rates of smoking or obesity, and relative economic disadvantage as compared to other regions.
• Generally, states with high death rates are in the South, Midwest, and parts of the East Coast, while states with low death rates are along the West Coast and Northeast.

The state with the highest death rate is Mississippi, marking 1,138.7 deaths per 100K. This is significantly higher than other states, possibly due to disparate factors such as access to healthcare, poverty rates and prevalence of chronic diseases. 

Alabama and West Virginia register the second and third highest death rates in the country, amounting to 1,057.8 and 1,055.8 deaths per 100,000 residents respectively. They face similar challenges as Mississippi, with healthcare access, socioeconomic conditions and disease prevalence potentially playing key roles. 

Louisiana and Kentucky follow suit with death rates of 1,044.7 and 1,031.6 per 100,000 residents, placing them at fourth and fifth place accordingly.

Other states making it to the top ten for the highest death rates include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana and Ohio, presenting death rates ranging from 1,015.1 for Tennessee down to 953.9 for Ohio.

States with the highest death rates:

1. Mississippi - 1,138.7 
2. Alabama - 1,057.8
3. West Virginia - 1,055.8
4. Louisiana - 1,044.7
5. Kentucky - 1,031.6
6. Tennessee - 1,015.1
7. Oklahoma - 1,011.6
8. Arkansas - 1,002.4
9. Indiana - 967.1
10. Ohio - 953.9