PlainHealth is a free informational resource that makes public CDC mortality data easier to read. It is not medical, health, legal, or financial advice, and it does not diagnose, predict, or assess any individual's health or risk. Use it as a starting point for understanding population-level patterns, not as guidance about your own health.

Not medical or professional advice

Nothing on PlainHealth constitutes medical, public-health, legal, or financial advice, and using the site does not create any professional relationship. The data describes populations, not people: an age-adjusted death rate for a state or cause cannot tell you anything about your personal risk, prognosis, or what you should do. For questions about your own health, consult a qualified healthcare provider. If you are in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (dial 988 in the U.S.).

What this data is, and is not

The figures on PlainHealth are finalized, age-adjusted mortality statistics from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, not real-time counts or forecasts. Age-adjusted rates are designed for fair comparison between populations with different age structures; they are not the same as crude death counts and should not be read as a personal probability. The 10 leading-cause chapters are a deliberately broad rollup, not the full ICD-10 code set, and death certificates record a single underlying cause, which may understate the role of contributing conditions. Comparisons between states or causes reflect the official data as published, with the limitations the data itself carries.

Data freshness and accuracy

CDC publishes finalized mortality data on a multi-year lag, so the series on PlainHealth currently ends in 2017 and does not cover the COVID-19 era. The shift from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding affects long-term comparability for some causes, and changes in coding practice over time can influence trends. We work to keep the data accurate and aligned with the CDC source, but we cannot guarantee it is complete, current, or free of upstream limitations. If you spot a figure that looks wrong, please report it through our corrections process.

Using this data responsibly

Treat PlainHealth as one input among several. When interpreting what you read here, we recommend you also:

• Consult the official CDC WONDER database, which is authoritative for U.S. mortality statistics.
• Remember that state-level rates mask large variation within a state, between communities, and across demographic groups.
• Read the methodology before comparing states or causes, since age adjustment and the coarse cause rollup change what a number means.
• Speak with a qualified healthcare or public-health professional for any decision about your own health or your community's.

No affiliation

PlainHealth is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the CDC, the National Center for Health Statistics, or any other government agency. Outbound links to official sources are provided for verification and do not imply any partnership.

Questions

Questions about how to interpret this data, or about a specific figure, are welcome at hello@plainhealthdata.com. See also our editorial & corrections policy and methodology.