About PlainHealth

PlainHealth makes CDC WONDER mortality data accessible in a modern, easy-to-use format. The CDC's WONDER database is an incredible public health resource — but its 1990s-era interface makes it difficult for researchers, journalists, students, and curious citizens to explore.

What We Offer

• State-level mortality data — browse leading causes of death for every US state
• Cause-of-death rankings — compare states for any cause of death
• ICD-10 classification — organized by the international standard disease classification
• Free and open — no account required, no paywalls

Data Source

All data comes from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), accessed via the WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) system. Specifically, we use the Underlying Cause of Death dataset, which covers deaths registered in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Methodology

• Age-adjusted rates use the year 2000 US standard population for fair comparison across states with different age distributions
• ICD-10 chapters group related causes (e.g., all heart-related deaths under "Diseases of the circulatory system")
• Suppressed data — CDC WONDER suppresses death counts under 10 for privacy. These appear as "N/A" on our site

Part of Kiznis Studio

PlainHealth is part of the Kiznis Studio portfolio of public data portals, making government data accessible and useful.