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Cause of death · ICD-10 V01-X59 · 2017

Unintentional injuries - Death Rates by State

169,936 deaths in 2017 across 51 US states, with age-adjusted rates spanning 33.2-100.3 per 100,000.

Data updated 2017-12-31

169,936
Deaths, 2017
54.0
Avg age-adj /100K
53.8
Median /100K
51
States + DC

Archive split · states

How 169,936 2017 deaths split by state

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Every state ranked by age-adjusted rate for Unintentional injuries.

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Rising long-run death count

What this means: National unintentional injuries deaths rose +74% from 1999 to 2017. The state ladder below shows where the burden concentrates.

West Virginia leads at 100.3/100K; California is lowest at 33.2/100K (3.0x gap).

Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.

Unintentional injuries in the higher-rate third

In 2017, CDC WONDER attributed 169,936 deaths to unintentional injuries (ICD-10 V01-X59). Mean state age-adjusted rate 54.0/100K places this cause in the higher-rate third of the leading-cause set.

The 67.1-point spread across 51 jurisdictions is age-adjusted to the year 2000 US standard population, so the gap between West Virginia and California is not an artifact of older populations alone. Injury and behavioral causes reflect emergency response, substance-use patterns, rurality, and local conditions more than a single clinical pathway.

National unintentional injuries deaths rose +74% from 1999 to 2017. Long-run national deaths are up 74% from 1999 to 2017; read that against the average state rate line below before treating count growth as worsening risk. These figures describe population-level mortality under ICD-10 V01-X59 and are not individual risk advice.

Mortality guides · Rank every state on unintentional injuries · Methodology

Top 5 States by Unintentional injuries Rate Horizontal bar chart of the top 5 items by value (per 100K). Top 5 States by Unintentional injuries Rate 1. West Virginia 100.3/100K 2. Ohio 75.1/100K 3. Kentucky 72.9/100K 4. Pennsylvania 70.2/100K 5. New Mexico 68.3/100K Source: CDC WONDER, 2017

States with Lowest Unintentional injuries Rates

Bottom 5

The five states with the lowest age-adjusted death rates for unintentional injuries in 2017.

1. California 33.2/100K (-39% vs avg)
2. New York 35.5/100K (-34% vs avg)
3. Hawaii 35.7/100K (-34% vs avg)
4. Maryland 36.9/100K (-32% vs avg)
5. Nebraska 38.5/100K (-29% vs avg)

These 5 states average 36.0/100K, 33% below the 54.0/100K national average. Source: CDC WONDER, 2017

How unintentional injuries mortality changed, 1999-2017

Between 1999 and 2017, US unintentional injuries deaths rose +74% from 97,860 to 169,936, while the average state age-adjusted rate rose +41% (38.3→54.0/100K).

3540455055 1999200220052008201120142017 54
Average of all 51 state age-adjusted rates per year. Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 1999-2017.

The line tracks the average state age-adjusted rate (unweighted across states), not a single national rate.

Do more deaths mean a higher rate? Unintentional injuries, 2017

30 states plotted by total unintentional injuries deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Total deaths and the age-adjusted rate are only weakly related here (r=0.04) -- a state's raw death count is driven largely by its size, not necessarily by an elevated per-capita risk, and vice versa.

Total deaths and the age-adjusted rate are only weakly related here (r=0.04) -- a state's raw death count is driven largely by its size, not necessarily by an elevated per-capita risk, and vice versa. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Total deaths (X) and Age-adjusted rate (per 100,000) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High count, high rateLow count, high rateHigh count, low rateLow count, low rate 05,00010,00015,000 406080100120 Total deaths Age-adjusted rate (per 100,000)
Total deaths and the age-adjusted rate are only weakly related here (r=0.04) -- a state's raw death count is driven largely by its size, not necessarily by an elevated per-capita risk, and vice versa.

States by deaths and age-adjusted rate: West Virginia, 1892 deaths, 100.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Ohio, 8971 deaths, 75.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kentucky, 3264 deaths, 72.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Pennsylvania, 9527 deaths, 70.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. New Mexico, 1460 deaths, 68.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Maine, 990 deaths, 68 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alaska, 436 deaths, 63.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Tennessee, 4435 deaths, 63 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. New Hampshire, 907 deaths, 62.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Oklahoma, 2563 deaths, 62.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Delaware, 608 deaths, 61.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. District of Columbia, 427 deaths, 61 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. South Carolina, 3147 deaths, 60.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Rhode Island, 718 deaths, 60 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Louisiana, 2780 deaths, 58.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Missouri, 3776 deaths, 58.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Indiana, 3978 deaths, 58.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Wisconsin, 3746 deaths, 58.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Wyoming, 348 deaths, 56.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Vermont, 394 deaths, 56.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. North Carolina, 5985 deaths, 56.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Mississippi, 1738 deaths, 56.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Arizona, 4184 deaths, 56.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. South Dakota, 537 deaths, 56.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Florida, 13059 deaths, 56.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alabama, 2703 deaths, 53.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Colorado, 3037 deaths, 53.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Connecticut, 2078 deaths, 53.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Michigan, 5623 deaths, 53 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Arkansas, 1625 deaths, 51.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.

How the 51 states are spread on unintentional injuries

West Virginia (100.3) and California (33.2) sit at the extremes; the marker shows where the national average (54.0/100K) falls in the distribution.

Unintentional injuries age-adjusted rate distribution, 2017

All 51 states bucketed by rate, most cluster near the average, with a tail toward the high end

54.0 Lower than 49% lower than 49% of 51 states

33.0–42.0: 7 states (14%). Below this entry. 42.0–51.0: 13 states (25%). Below this entry. 51.0–60.0: 17 states (33%). This entry sits in this band. 60.0–69.0: 10 states (20%). Above this entry. 69.0–78.0: 3 states (6%). Above this entry. 78.0–87.0: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. 87.0–96.0: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. 96.0–105.0: 1 states (2%). Above this entry. US avg 33.0 105.0 every US state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS) · 2017

All State Rankings - Unintentional injuries (2017)

# State Deaths Age-Adjusted vs Avg
1 West Virginia 1,892 100.3 +86%
2 Ohio 8,971 75.1 +39%
3 Kentucky 3,264 72.9 +35%
4 Pennsylvania 9,527 70.2 +30%
5 New Mexico 1,460 68.3 +26%
6 Maine 990 68.0 +26%
7 Alaska 436 63.7 +18%
8 Tennessee 4,435 63.0 +17%
9 New Hampshire 907 62.9 +16%
10 Oklahoma 2,563 62.5 +16%
11 Delaware 608 61.9 +15%
12 District of Columbia 427 61.0 +13%
13 South Carolina 3,147 60.2 +11%
14 Rhode Island 718 60.0 +11%
15 Louisiana 2,780 58.9 +9%
16 Missouri 3,776 58.8 +9%
17 Indiana 3,978 58.7 +9%
18 Wisconsin 3,746 58.3 +8%
19 Wyoming 348 56.9 +5%
20 Vermont 394 56.9 +5%
21 North Carolina 5,985 56.3 +4%
22 Mississippi 1,738 56.3 +4%
23 Arizona 4,184 56.2 +4%
24 South Dakota 537 56.1 +4%
25 Florida 13,059 56.1 +4%
26 Alabama 2,703 53.8 -0%
27 Colorado 3,037 53.6 -1%
28 Connecticut 2,078 53.2 -2%
29 Michigan 5,623 53.0 -2%
30 Arkansas 1,625 51.8 -4%
31 Massachusetts 3,821 51.5 -5%
32 Montana 579 50.2 -7%
33 Idaho 876 49.8 -8%
34 Kansas 1,567 49.4 -9%
35 Nevada 1,496 47.8 -12%
36 New Jersey 4,482 47.3 -12%
37 Georgia 4,712 45.2 -16%
38 Oregon 2,076 44.8 -17%
39 Minnesota 2,788 44.6 -17%
40 Illinois 6,019 44.4 -18%
41 Utah 1,238 44.2 -18%
42 Washington 3,455 44.0 -19%
43 Virginia 3,922 44.0 -19%
44 Iowa 1,536 42.8 -21%
45 North Dakota 339 41.3 -24%
46 Texas 10,763 38.8 -28%
47 Nebraska 811 38.5 -29%
48 Maryland 2,408 36.9 -32%
49 Hawaii 585 35.7 -34%
50 New York 7,687 35.5 -34%
51 California 13,840 33.2 -39%

Causes with similar national CDC WONDER totals

Two peer sets for Unintentional injuries. Volume is heavy, so peers are nearest on published counts and long-run change - not the fixed related-cause chrome.

Similar 2017 death count

Nearest leading causes by national death count (169,936 here).

CLRD 160,201 Stroke 146,383 Alzheimer's disease 121,404

Similar 1999→2017 death-count change

Nearest leading causes by long-run national death-count percent change, excluding the count-peer set.

Suicide +62% Kidney disease +43% Diabetes +22%

Rates are per 100,000 population. Age-adjusted rates use the year 2000 US standard population. ICD-10 code: V01-X59. Data covers 1999-2017. Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS). Methodology.

According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, PlainHealthData's mortality figures are rendered directly from 9,690 official state-year-cause records (NCHS Leading Causes of Death for calendar years 1999-2017). June 2026 is when this portal last verified that frozen CDC file is intact; it is not a newer claims year. No figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our data changelog, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of 2017.