Death Rate by State

Death Rate (per 100k)

Death Rate (per 100k)
1.MississippiMississippi1138.7
2.AlabamaAlabama1057.8
3.West VirginiaWest Virginia1055.8
4.LouisianaLouisiana1044.7
5.KentuckyKentucky1031.6
6.TennesseeTennessee1015.1
7.OklahomaOklahoma1011.6
8.ArkansasArkansas1002.4
9.IndianaIndiana967.1
10.OhioOhio953.9
11.MissouriMissouri937.6
12.South CarolinaSouth Carolina937.6
13.New MexicoNew Mexico912.5
14.MichiganMichigan907.7
15.GeorgiaGeorgia902.1
16.KansasKansas882.2
17.South DakotaSouth Dakota868.1
18.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania866
19.TexasTexas862.1
20.North CarolinaNorth Carolina856.4
21.NevadaNevada853.3
22.IllinoisIllinois850.7
23.North DakotaNorth Dakota848.8
24.IowaIowa848.6
25.WyomingWyoming842
26.MontanaMontana839.4
27.DelawareDelaware835.9
28.New JerseyNew Jersey834.4
29.WisconsinWisconsin828.4
30.MarylandMaryland820.5
31.NebraskaNebraska817.2
32.Rhode IslandRhode Island806.6
33.ArizonaArizona800.3
34.New YorkNew York797.1
35.VirginiaVirginia792.8
36.MaineMaine787.2
37.IdahoIdaho784.4
38.ConnecticutConnecticut769.1
39.AlaskaAlaska768.4
40.UtahUtah765.3
41.MassachusettsMassachusetts756.7
42.ColoradoColorado754.2
43.OregonOregon741.2
44.MinnesotaMinnesota739.6
45.New HampshireNew Hampshire737.8
46.VermontVermont737.7
47.FloridaFlorida735.7
48.WashingtonWashington711.2
49.CaliforniaCalifornia705.3
50.HawaiiHawaii588

Introduction

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.

States with the Highest Death Rate

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

By Region

Alabama

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Alabama

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1057.8

#2

Alaska

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Alaska

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

768.4

#39

Arizona

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Arizona

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

800.3

#33

Arkansas

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Arkansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1002.4

#8

California

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California

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

705.3

#49

Colorado

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Colorado

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

754.2

#42

Connecticut

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Connecticut

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

769.1

#38

Delaware

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Delaware

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

835.9

#27

Florida

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Florida

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

735.7

#47

Georgia

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Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

902.1

#15

Hawaii

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Hawaii

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

588

#50

Idaho

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Idaho

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

784.4

#37

Illinois

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Illinois

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

850.7

#22

Indiana

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Indiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

967.1

#9

Iowa

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Iowa

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

848.6

#24

Kansas

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Kansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

882.2

#16

Kentucky

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Kentucky

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1031.6

#5

Louisiana

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Louisiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1044.7

#4

Maine

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Maine

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

787.2

#36

Maryland

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Maryland

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

820.5

#30

Massachusetts

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Massachusetts

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

756.7

#41

Michigan

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Michigan

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

907.7

#14

Minnesota

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Minnesota

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

739.6

#44

Mississippi

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Mississippi

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1138.7

#1

Missouri

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Missouri

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

937.6

#11

Montana

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Montana

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

839.4

#26

Nebraska

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Nebraska

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

817.2

#31

Nevada

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Nevada

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

853.3

#21

New Hampshire

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New Hampshire

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

737.8

#45

New Jersey

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New Jersey

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

834.4

#28

New Mexico

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New Mexico

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

912.5

#13

New York

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New York

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

797.1

#34

North Carolina

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North Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

856.4

#20

North Dakota

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North Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

848.8

#23

Ohio

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Ohio

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

953.9

#10

Oklahoma

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Oklahoma

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1011.6

#7

Oregon

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Oregon

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

741.2

#43

Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

866

#18

Rhode Island

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Rhode Island

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

806.6

#32

South Carolina

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South Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

937.6

#12

South Dakota

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South Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

868.1

#17

Tennessee

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Tennessee

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1015.1

#6

Texas

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Texas

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

862.1

#19

Utah

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Utah

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

765.3

#40

Vermont

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Vermont

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

737.7

#46

Virginia

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Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

792.8

#35

Washington

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Washington

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

711.2

#48

West Virginia

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West Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

1055.8

#3

Wisconsin

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Wisconsin

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

828.4

#29

Wyoming

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Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

Death Rate

842

#25