The Centers for Disease Control has published a map showing the most distinctive causes of death by state, 2001-2010.
"A word of caution: the map does not show the main cause of death by state, which is basically heart disease or cancer. What it shows is the cause of death in each state that stands out most relative to its national average. Syphillis is the most distinctive cause of death in Louisiana, but it only resulted in 22 deaths there over that time period. HIV, the most distinctive cause of death in Florida, was behind 15,000 deaths there. The coding of deaths is also 'highly variable' by state, meaning some capture in 'other'categories may be more properly classified elsewhere." (Source: WashingtonPost.com)
One impression at first glance is that there is such diversity among the states.
“Some of the findings make intuitive sense (influenza in some northern states, pneumoconioses in coal-mining states, air and water accidents in Alaska and Idaho), while the explanations for others are less immediately apparent (septicemia in New Jersey, deaths by legal intervention in 3 Western states).”
Two states list causes of death related to firearms. “Accidental discharge of firearms” is the most distinctive cause of death in Alabama. “Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent,” is the most distinctive cause in Arizona.
In New Mexico, the most distinctive cause of death is "Legal Intervention" — which means deaths caused by law enforcement)
Read more about the study here.
State by State : Most Distinctive Causes of Death
(Source: WashingtonPost.com )
- Alabama: Accidental discharge of firearms. (348 deaths)
- Alaska: Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae. (270 deaths)
- Arizona: Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent. (147 deaths)
- Arkansas: Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent. (73 deaths)
- California: Hyperplasia of prostate. (937 deaths)
- Colorado: Atherosclerosis. (3457 deaths)
- Connecticut: Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs. (19 deaths)
- Delaware: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described. (3299 deaths)
- District of Columbia: Human immunodeficiency virus. (1977 deaths)
- Florida: Human immunodeficiency virus. (15563 deaths)
- Georgia: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified. (18434 deaths)
- Hawaii: Other nutritional deficiencies. (26 deaths)
- Idaho: Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae. (207 deaths)
- Illinois: Other disorders of kidney. (12 deaths)
- Indiana: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (1717 deaths)
- Iowa: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (26 deaths)
- Kansas: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (46 deaths)
- Kentucky: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (449 deaths)
- Louisiana: Syphilis. (22 deaths)
- Maine: Influenza. (154 deaths)
- Maryland: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (6588 deaths)
- Massachusetts: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (3077 deaths)
- Michigan: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described. (37292 deaths)
- Minnesota: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (28 deaths)
- Mississippi: Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue. (18 deaths)
- Missouri: Meningococcal infection. (31 deaths)Montana: Acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome. (11 deaths)
- Nebraska: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (32 deaths)Nevada: Legal intervention. (82 deaths)
- New Hampshire: Other nutritional deficiencies. (14 deaths)
- New Jersey: Septicemia. (18353 deaths)
- New Mexico: Legal intervention. (77 deaths)
- New York: Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs. (97 deaths)
- North Carolina: Other nutritional deficiencies. (103 deaths)
- North Dakota: Influenza. (83 deaths)
- Ohio: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (73 deaths)
- Oklahoma: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (8623 deaths)Oregon: Legal intervention. (110 deaths)
- Pennsylvania: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (1470 deaths)
- Rhode Island: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (589 deaths)
- South Carolina: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (2094 deaths)
- South Dakota: Influenza. (141 deaths)
- Tennessee: Accidental discharge of firearms. (336 deaths)
- Texas: Tuberculosis. (679 deaths)
- Utah: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (2380 deaths)
- Vermont: Other nutritional deficiencies. (16 deaths)
- Virginia: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (5136 deaths)
- Washington: Meningococcal infection. (47 deaths)
- West Virginia: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (882 deaths)
- Wisconsin: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (26 deaths)
- Wyoming: Influenza. (49 deaths)
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