Mississippi appears in the top five states for highest mortality across eight chronic conditions, the CDC found.
The CDC calculated mortality rates from 10 chronic diseases in every state. Mortality rate is the number of deaths per 100,000 total population and is age-adjusted. The most recent data for 2024 was published March 2. Becker’s used the 2024 and 2023 data to find the percent change in death rate and total deaths.
Southern states dominated the high-mortality rankings across nearly every chronic disease, with Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky and West Virginia appearing the most often.
Meanwhile, the Northeast and West Coast states tended to have the lowest chronic disease mortality, led by New York, which ranked in the lowest five states across six conditions.
Here are the states with the highest and lowest death rates for each chronic disease.
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 46.9 | 1,664 |
| South Dakota | 42.0 | 505 |
| Louisiana | 38.0 | 2,044 |
| Idaho | 37.6 | 853 |
| Utah | 37.6 | 1,028 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 10.9 | 76 |
| New York | 11.3 | 3,208 |
| Florida | 15.6 | 6,115 |
| Maryland | 16.0 | 1,244 |
| New Jersey | 18.4 | 2,291 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 175.6 | 10,528 |
| West Virginia | 175.1 | 4,758 |
| Oklahoma | 172.4 | 8,677 |
| Mississippi | 167.8 | 6,428 |
| Tennessee | 165.1 | 15,331 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 115.8 | 2,563 |
| Utah | 117.4 | 3,732 |
| New York | 118.5 | 32,546 |
| New Jersey | 121.6 | 15,359 |
| Colorado | 122.2 | 8,527 |
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 59.5 | 3,013 |
| Kentucky | 57.3 | 3,453 |
| Mississippi | 57.0 | 2,193 |
| Arkansas | 56.9 | 2,362 |
| West Virginia | 56.6 | 1,582 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 15.2 | 370 |
| District of Columbia | 17.7 | 125 |
| New Jersey | 20.0 | 2,522 |
| New York | 21.2 | 5,952 |
| Maryland | 23.0 | 1,876 |
Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 31.1 | 742 |
| South Dakota | 27.3 | 261 |
| Wyoming | 21.6 | 148 |
| Montana | 19.0 | 251 |
| North Dakota | 17.8 | 147 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 6.7 | 49 |
| New York | 7.3 | 1,801 |
| Hawaii | 7.5 | 144 |
| New Jersey | 7.9 | 924 |
| Maryland | 8.6 | 659 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 34.3 | 903 |
| Arkansas | 31.9 | 1,253 |
| Tennessee | 30.4 | 2,734 |
| Mississippi | 29.6 | 1,072 |
| Oklahoma | 29.3 | 1,405 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 13.7 | 702 |
| Massachusetts | 14.4 | 1,378 |
| New Jersey | 14.8 | 1,848 |
| New York | 16.0 | 4,374 |
| Rhode Island | 16.2 | 254 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 254.3 | 12,432 |
| Mississippi | 236.5 | 8,586 |
| Alabama | 223.9 | 14,727 |
| Louisiana | 220.0 | 12,327 |
| Arkansas | 217.1 | 8,532 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 116.3 | 831 |
| Colorado | 118.8 | 7,882 |
| Massachusetts | 121.5 | 11,631 |
| Minnesota | 121.9 | 9,228 |
| Connecticut | 128.9 | 6,697 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 19.3 | 706 |
| Rhode Island | 15.4 | 247 |
| Iowa | 15.0 | 679 |
| Nebraska | 14.3 | 357 |
| California | 13.4 | 6,406 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 4.1 | 31 |
| Montana | 4.4 | 71 |
| Colorado | 5.1 | 346 |
| New Mexico | 5.3 | 160 |
| Utah | 5.9 | 175 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 21.2 | 848 |
| Kentucky | 20.8 | 1,201 |
| Missouri | 20.0 | 1,659 |
| Louisiana | 19.7 | 1,115 |
| Mississippi | 19.7 | 716 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 4.3 | 41 |
| Washington | 5.2 | 491 |
| Oregon | 7.0 | 412 |
| Minnesota | 7.0 | 527 |
| District of Columbia | 7.7 | 55 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 13.2 | 378 |
| Kansas | 11.7 | 446 |
| Nebraska | 11.1 | 278 |
| Maine | 10.9 | 254 |
| Missouri | 10.8 | 907 |
| Oregon | 10.8 | 641 |
| Vermont | 10.8 | 112 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 6.1 | 1,726 |
| Alaska | 6.5 | 43 |
| District of Columbia | 6.9 | 48 |
| Hawaii | 7.0 | 176 |
| North Dakota | 7.3 | 76 |
Highest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 62.6 | 921 |
| Mississippi | 52.1 | 1,925 |
| Louisiana | 50.7 | 2,828 |
| Arkansas | 50.1 | 1,970 |
| Alabama | 49.2 | 3,261 |
Lowest
| State | Death rate | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 23.7 | 6,567 |
| Vermont | 24.4 | 235 |
| Rhode Island | 24.4 | 385 |
| Massachusetts | 25.6 | 2,445 |
| Montana | 26.1 | 407 |
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