During the months December 2020, January 2021, and February 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in the United States based on the average number of daily deaths. Heart disease and cancer are usually the number one and number two leading causes of death, respectively. This statistic shows the average number of daily deaths in the United States among the leading causes of death from March 2020 to September 2022.

This statistic shows the percentage changes in selected causes of death due to diseases in the United States, between 2000 and 2022. The number of deaths caused by prostate cancer increased by 7.4 percent during this period. Changes in selected causes of deathThere has been a decrease in the rate of death caused by many diseases, including stroke and heart disease. However, the mortality rate due to Alzheimer’s disease increased by 142 percent from 2000 to 2022. Alzheimer’s disease caused 27.7 deaths per 100,000 population in 2023, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Mortality rates due to different diseases vary by different factors, including race and ethnicity. For example, cancer is the leading cause of death among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States, accounting for 22 percent of total deaths among this population, while heart disease is the leading cause of death among the white population. Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around nine million deaths in 2021. In the early 1900's, the mortality rate was primarily concentrated among people of younger ages, but increasingly, this has shifted to older population groups. In recent years, decreased mortality rates are often linked to improved medical care, such as new developments in medical technologies. Shifts in lifestyle habits such as decreased smoking rates and healthier diets may also attribute to lower mortality rates.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023. However, there have been slight changes in the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. from 2018 to 2023. Most notable is that COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, but by 2023 it was the tenth leading cause. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023.

This file contains COVID-19 death counts, death rates, and percent of total deaths by jurisdiction of residence. The data is grouped by different time periods including 3-month period, weekly, and total (cumulative since January 1, 2020). United States death counts and rates include the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City. New York state estimates exclude New York City. Puerto Rico is included in HHS Region 2 estimates. Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1. Number of deaths reported in this file are the total number of COVID-19 deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and may not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Counts of deaths occurring before or after the reporting period are not included in the file. Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. Death counts should not be compared across states. Data timeliness varies by state. Some states report deaths on a daily basis, while other states report deaths weekly or monthly. The ten (10) United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions include the following jurisdictions. Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; Region 2: New Jersey, New York, New York City, Puerto Rico; Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada; Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Rates were calculated using the population estimates for 2021, which are estimated as of July 1, 2021 based on the Blended Base produced by the US Census Bureau in lieu of the April 1, 2020 decennial population count. The Blended Base consists of the blend of Vintage 2020 postcensal population estimates, 2020 Demographic Analysis Estimates, and 2020 Census PL 94-171 Redistricting File (see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2021/methods-statement-v2021.pdf). Rates are based on deaths occurring in the specified week/month and are age-adjusted to the 2000 standard population using the direct method (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-08-508.pdf). These rates differ from annual age-adjusted rates, typically presented in NCHS publications based on a full year of data and annualized weekly/monthly age-adjusted rates which have been adjusted to allow comparison with annual rates. Annualization rates presents deaths per year per 100,000 population that would be expected in a year if the observed period specific (weekly/monthly) rate prevailed for a full year. Sub-national death counts between 1-9 are suppressed in accordance with NCHS data confidentiality standards. Rates based on death counts less than 20 are suppressed in accordance with NCHS standards of reliability as specified in NCHS Data Presentation Standards for Proportions (available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_175.pdf.).

This file contains COVID-19 death counts and rates by month and year of death, jurisdiction of residence (U.S., HHS Region) and demographic characteristics (sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, and age/race and Hispanic origin). United States death counts and rates include the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1. Number of deaths reported in this file are the total number of COVID-19 deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and may not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Counts of deaths occurring before or after the reporting period are not included in the file. Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. Death counts should not be compared across jurisdictions. Data timeliness varies by state. Some states report deaths on a daily basis, while other states report deaths weekly or monthly. The ten (10) United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions include the following jurisdictions. Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; Region 2: New Jersey, New York; Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada; Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Rates were calculated using the population estimates for 2021, which are estimated as of July 1, 2021 based on the Blended Base produced by the US Census Bureau in lieu of the April 1, 2020 decennial population count. The Blended Base consists of the blend of Vintage 2020 postcensal population estimates, 2020 Demographic Analysis Estimates, and 2020 Census PL 94-171 Redistricting File (see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2021/methods-statement-v2021.pdf). Rate are based on deaths occurring in the specified week and are age-adjusted to the 2000 standard population using the direct method (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-08-508.pdf). These rates differ from annual age-adjusted rates, typically presented in NCHS publications based on a full year of data and annualized weekly age-adjusted rates which have been adjusted to allow comparison with annual rates. Annualization rates presents deaths per year per 100,000 population that would be expected in a year if the observed period specific (weekly) rate prevailed for a full year. Sub-national death counts between 1-9 are suppressed in accordance with NCHS data confidentiality standards. Rates based on death counts less than 20 are suppressed in accordance with NCHS standards of reliability as specified in NCHS Data Presentation Standards for Proportions (available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_175.pdf.).

United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Texas data was reported at 0.000 Number in 30 Oct 2021. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Number for 23 Oct 2021. United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Texas data is updated weekly, averaging 0.000 Number from Jan 2017 (Median) to 30 Oct 2021, with 251 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,674.000 Number in 16 Jan 2021 and a record low of 0.000 Number in 30 Oct 2021. United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Texas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G010: Number of Excess Deaths: by States: All Causes (Discontinued).

Provisional counts of deaths by the month the deaths occurred, by age group and HHS region, for select underlying causes of death for 2019-2020. The dataset also includes monthly provisional counts of death for COVID-19, coded to ICD-10 code U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death.

United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Alabama data was reported at 0.000 Number in 30 Oct 2021. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Number for 23 Oct 2021. United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Alabama data is updated weekly, averaging 0.000 Number from Jan 2017 (Median) to 30 Oct 2021, with 251 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 679.000 Number in 11 Sep 2021 and a record low of 0.000 Number in 30 Oct 2021. United States Excess Deaths: Above Expected: Alabama data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G010: Number of Excess Deaths: by States: All Causes (Discontinued).

Effective September 27, 2023, this dataset will no longer be updated. Similar data are accessible from wonder.cdc.gov.

Provisional counts of deaths by the month the death occurred and by select causes of death for 2020-2023.

This dataset contains counts of deaths for California counties based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in each California county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to residents of each California county (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in each county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

In 2022, the leading causes of death for children aged one to four years in the United States were unintentional injuries and congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities. At that time, around 31 percent of all deaths among these children were caused by unintentional injuries. Differences in causes of death among children by age Just as unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children aged one to four, it is also the leading cause of death for the age groups five to nine and 10 to 14. However, congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities account for fewer deaths as children become older, while the share of deaths caused by cancer is higher among those aged five to nine and 10 to 14. In fact, cancer is the second leading cause of death among five to nine-year-olds, accounting for around 15 percent of all deaths. Sadly, the second leading cause of death among children aged 10 to 14 is intentional self-harm, with 13 percent of all deaths among those in this age group caused by suicide. Leading causes of death in the United States The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease and malignant neoplasms. Together, these two diseases accounted for around 40 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2022. That year, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, with about six percent of all deaths caused by COVID-19. In 2022, the lifetime odds that the average person in the United States would die from heart disease was one in six, while the odds for cancer were one in seven and for COVID-19 one in 23.

The graph illustrates the number of deaths per day in the United States from 1950 to 2025. The x-axis represents the years, abbreviated from '50 to '24, while the y-axis indicates the daily number of deaths. Over this 75-year period, the number of deaths per day ranges from a low of 4,054 in 1950 to a high of 9,570 in 2021. Notable figures include 6,855 deaths in 2010 and 8,333 in 2024. The data shows a general upward trend in daily deaths over the decades, with recent years experiencing some fluctuations. This information is presented in a line graph format, effectively highlighting the long-term trends and yearly variations in daily deaths across the United States.

AH Monthly Provisional Counts of Deaths for Select Causes of Death by Age, and Race and Hispanic Origin

  Description

Provisional counts of deaths by the month the deaths occurred, by age group and race/ethnicity, for select underlying causes of death for 2020-2021. Final data is provided for 2019. The dataset also includes monthly provisional counts of death for COVID-19, coded to ICD-10 code U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death.

  Dataset Details… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/HHS-Official/ah-monthly-provisional-counts-of-deaths-for-select.

Note: DPH is updating and streamlining the COVID-19 cases, deaths, and testing data. As of 6/27/2022, the data will be published in four tables instead of twelve.

The COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Tests by Day dataset contains cases and test data by date of sample submission. The death data are by date of death. This dataset is updated daily and contains information back to the beginning of the pandemic. The data can be found at https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/COVID-19-Cases-Deaths-and-Tests-by-Day/g9vi-2ahj.

The COVID-19 State Metrics dataset contains over 93 columns of data. This dataset is updated daily and currently contains information starting June 21, 2022 to the present. The data can be found at https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/COVID-19-State-Level-Data/qmgw-5kp6 .

The COVID-19 County Metrics dataset contains 25 columns of data. This dataset is updated daily and currently contains information starting June 16, 2022 to the present. The data can be found at https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/COVID-19-County-Level-Data/ujiq-dy22 .

The COVID-19 Town Metrics dataset contains 16 columns of data. This dataset is updated daily and currently contains information starting June 16, 2022 to the present. The data can be found at https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/COVID-19-Town-Level-Data/icxw-cada . To protect confidentiality, if a town has fewer than 5 cases or positive NAAT tests over the past 7 days, those data will be suppressed.

COVID-19 cases and associated deaths that have been reported among Connecticut residents, broken down by race and ethnicity. All data in this report are preliminary; data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected. Deaths reported to the either the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) or Department of Public Health (DPH) are included in the COVID-19 update.

The following data show the number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths per 100,000 population by race and ethnicity. Crude rates represent the total cases or deaths per 100,000 people. Age-adjusted rates consider the age of the person at diagnosis or death when estimating the rate and use a standardized population to provide a fair comparison between population groups with different age distributions. Age-adjustment is important in Connecticut as the median age of among the non-Hispanic white population is 47 years, whereas it is 34 years among non-Hispanic blacks, and 29 years among Hispanics. Because most non-Hispanic white residents who died were over 75 years of age, the age-adjusted rates are lower than the unadjusted rates. In contrast, Hispanic residents who died tend to be younger than 75 years of age which results in higher age-adjusted rates.

The population data used to calculate rates is based on the CT DPH population statistics for 2019, which is available online here: https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Health-Information-Systems--Reporting/Population/Population-Statistics. Prior to 5/10/2021, the population estimates from 2018 were used.

Rates are standardized to the 2000 US Millions Standard population (data available here: https://seer.cancer.gov/stdpopulations/). Standardization was done using 19 age groups (0, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, ..., 80-84, 85 years and older). More information about direct standardization for age adjustment is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statnt/statnt06rv.pdf

Categories are mutually exclusive. The category “multiracial” includes people who answered ‘yes’ to more than one race category. Counts may not add up to total case counts as data on race and ethnicity may be missing. Age adjusted rates calculated only for groups with more than 20 deaths. Abbreviation: NH=Non-Hispanic.

Data on Connecticut deaths were obtained from the Connecticut Deaths Registry maintained by the DPH Office of Vital Records. Cause of death was determined by a death certifier (e.g., physician, APRN, medical examiner) using their best clinical judgment. Additionally, all COVID-19 deaths, including suspected or related, are required to be reported to OCME. On April 4, 2020, CT DPH and OCME released a joint memo to providers and facilities within Connecticut providing guidelines for certifying deaths due to COVID-19 that were consistent with the CDC’s guidelines and a reminder of the required reporting to OCME.25,26 As of July 1, 2021, OCME had reviewed every case reported and performed additional investigation on about one-third of reported deaths to better ascertain if COVID-19 did or did not cause or contribute to the death. Some of these investigations resulted in the OCME performing postmortem swabs for PCR testing on individuals whose deaths were suspected to be due to COVID-19, but antemortem diagnosis was unable to be made.31 The OCME issued or re-issued about 10% of COVID-19 death certificates and, when appropriate, removed COVID-19 from the death certificate. For standardization and tabulation of mortality statistics, written cause of death statements made by the certifiers on death certificates are sent to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the CDC which assigns cause of death codes according to the International Causes of Disease 10th Revision (ICD-10) classification system.25,26 COVID-19 deaths in this report are defined as those for which the death certificate has an ICD-10 code of U07.1 as either a primary (underlying) or a contributing cause of death. More information on COVID-19 mortality can be found at the following link: https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Health-Information-Systems--Reporting/Mortality/Mortality-Statistics

Data are subject to future revision as reporting changes.

Starting in July 2020, this dataset will be updated every weekday.

Additional notes: A delay in the data pull schedule occurred on 06/23/2020. Data from 06/22/2020 was processed on 06/23/2020 at 3:30 PM. The normal data cycle resumed with the data for 06/23/2020.

A network outage on 05/19/2020 resulted in a change in the data pull schedule. Data from 5/19/2020 was processed on 05/20/2020 at 12:00 PM. Data from 5/20/2020 was processed on 5/20/2020 8:30 PM. The normal data cycle resumed on 05/20/2020 with the 8:30 PM data pull. As a result of the network outage, the timestamp on the datasets on the Open Data Portal differ from the timestamp in DPH's daily PDF reports.

Starting 5/10/2021, the date field will represent the date this data was updated on data.ct.gov. Previously the date the data was pulled by DPH was listed, which typically coincided with the date before the data was published on data.ct.gov. This change was made to standardize the COVID-19 data sets on data.ct.gov.

2019 - 2021, county-level U.S. heart disease death rates. Dataset developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.Data SourceMortality data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System. Bridged-Race Postcensal Population Estimates were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: I00-I09, I11, I13, I20-I51; underlying cause of death.Data DictionaryData for counties with small populations are not displayed when a reliable rate could not be generated. These counties are represented in the data with values of '-1.' CDC excludes these values when classifying the data on a map, indicating those counties as 'Insufficient Data.'Data field names and descriptionsstcty_fips: state FIPS code + county FIPS codeOther fields use the following format: RRR_S_aaaa (e.g., API_M_35UP)  RRR: 3 digits represent race/ethnicity    All - Overall    AIA - American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic    ASN - Asian, non-Hispanic    BLK - Black, non-Hispanic    HIS - Hispanic NHP – Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic MOR – More than one race, non-Hispanic    WHT - White, non-Hispanic  S: 1 digit represents sex    A - All    F - Female    M - Male  aaaa: 4 digits represent age. The first 2 digits are the lower bound for age and the last 2 digits are the upper bound for age. 'UP' indicates the data includes the maximum age available and 'LT' indicates ages less than the upper bound. Example: The column 'BLK_M_65UP' displays rates per 100,000 black men aged 65 years and older.MethodologyRates are calculated using a 3-year average and are age-standardized in 10-year age groups using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are calculated and displayed per 100,000 population. Rates were spatially smoothed using a Local Empirical Bayes algorithm to stabilize risk by borrowing information from neighboring geographic areas, making estimates more statistically robust and stable for counties with small populations. Data for counties with small populations are coded as '-1' when a reliable rate could not be generated. County-level rates were generated when the following criteria were met over a 3-year time period within each of the filters (e.g., age, race, and sex).At least one of the following 3 criteria:At least 20 events occurred within the county and its adjacent neighbors.ORAt least 16 events occurred within the county.ORAt least 5,000 population years within the county.AND all 3 of the following criteria:At least 6 population years for each age group used for age adjustment if that age group had 1 or more event.The number of population years in an age group was greater than the number of events.At least 100 population years within the county.More Questions?Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourcesStatistical Methods

Heart disease and cancer were the leading causes of death in the United States in 2023. COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, but by 2023 it was the tenth leading cause. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2023.

United States Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Single Excess Est: Connecticut data was reported at 0.000 Number in 01 Jan 2022. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Number for 25 Dec 2021. United States Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Single Excess Est: Connecticut data is updated weekly, averaging 0.000 Number from Jan 2017 to 01 Jan 2022, with 261 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 153.000 Number in 18 Sep 2021 and a record low of 0.000 Number in 01 Jan 2022. United States Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Single Excess Est: Connecticut data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G014: Number of Excess Deaths: by States: All Causes excluding COVID-19: Predicted.

2019 - 2021, county-level U.S. stroke death rates. Dataset developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.Create maps of U.S. stroke death rates by county. Data can be stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and sex.Visit the CDC Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke for additional data and maps. Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourceMortality data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System. Bridged-Race Postcensal Population Estimates were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: I60-I69; underlying cause of death.Data DictionaryData for counties with small populations are not displayed when a reliable rate could not be generated. These counties are represented in the data with values of '-1.' CDC excludes these values when classifying the data on a map, indicating those counties as 'Insufficient Data.'Data field names and descriptionsstcty_fips: state FIPS code + county FIPS codeOther fields use the following format: RRR_S_aaaa (e.g., API_M_35UP)  RRR: 3 digits represent race/ethnicity    All - Overall    AIA - American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic    ASN - Asian, non-Hispanic    BLK - Black, non-Hispanic    HIS - Hispanic NHP – Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic MOR – More than one race, non-Hispanic    WHT - White, non-Hispanic  S: 1 digit represents sex    A - All    F - Female    M - Male  aaaa: 4 digits represent age. The first 2 digits are the lower bound for age and the last 2 digits are the upper bound for age. 'UP' indicates the data includes the maximum age available and 'LT' indicates ages less than the upper bound. Example: The column 'BLK_M_65UP' displays rates per 100,000 black men aged 65 years and older.MethodologyRates are calculated using a 3-year average and are age-standardized in 10-year age groups using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are calculated and displayed per 100,000 population. Rates were spatially smoothed using a Local Empirical Bayes algorithm to stabilize risk by borrowing information from neighboring geographic areas, making estimates more statistically robust and stable for counties with small populations. Data for counties with small populations are coded as '-1' when a reliable rate could not be generated. County-level rates were generated when the following criteria were met over a 3-year time period within each of the filters (e.g., age, race, and sex).At least one of the following 3 criteria:At least 20 events occurred within the county and its adjacent neighbors.ORAt least 16 events occurred within the county.ORAt least 5,000 population years within the county.AND all 3 of the following criteria:At least 6 population years for each age group used for age adjustment if that age group had 1 or more event.The number of population years in an age group was greater than the number of events.At least 100 population years within the county.More Questions?Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourcesStatistical Methods