The report examined 2017 mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System, which the National Center for Health Statistics compiles using death certificates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The CDC also adjusted the statistics for age.
The five states with the highest death rates — Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia — had an average of 926.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017. In contrast, the average for states with the lowest death rates — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York — was 624 per 100,000 people.
In states with the highest rates, non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks had higher death rates than Hispanics. People with chronic lower respiratory diseases and unintentional injuries were almost twice as likely to die in states with the highest death rates compared to states with the lowest death rates.
More articles on population health:
CDC investigates cluster of lung diseases potentially linked to e-cigarettes
ADHD most prevalent among kids from Louisiana, Blue Cross claims study finds
FDA pushes for graphic cigarette warnings
