State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Arkansas - Mortality Statistics
25,233 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 69.2 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 25,233
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- +25%
- vs national avg
- 69.2
- Avg age-adj /100K
Look up or compare states and causes
Side-by-side state comparisons and cause lookups use the same CDC NCHS figures shown on this page. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Above national mean rate
What this means: Arkansas's mean age-adjusted rate runs 25% above the national figure (69.2 vs 55.5/100K). A rate this far above the national average points to a sizable mortality burden relative to the rest of the country -- the kind of gap usually tied to a stack of factors: chronic-disease prevalence, healthcare access, smoking and obesity rates, and regional socioeconomic conditions.
Higher-rate third on mean age-adjusted leading causes (2017). Heart disease leads the 2017 file. Rates are CDC WONDER age-adjusted; see /methodology#corpus-placement.
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.
FIPS 05 · CDC WONDER 2017
Arkansas: the mortality desk
2017: 25,233 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 69.2/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #4/51 · 25% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: Oklahoma (+0.7/100K).
Arkansas in the higher-rate third
25,233 deaths were recorded in Arkansas for 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER categories. Leading the record is Heart disease, with 8,270 deaths at 223.8 per 100,000 (age-adjusted) -- nationally Arkansas sits at #3 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes together represent 81.4% of the state's total (20,541 deaths). Among jurisdictions with published CDC WONDER leading-cause files, that mean rate lands in the higher third.
A rate this far above the national average points to a sizable mortality burden relative to the rest of the country -- the kind of gap usually tied to a stack of factors: chronic-disease prevalence, healthcare access, smoking and obesity rates, and regional socioeconomic conditions.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Arkansas
5 Causes That Lead Mortality Here
The five leading causes account for 20,541 deaths (81.4% of all deaths) in Arkansas.
The Complete 2017 Cause List for Arkansas
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 8,270 | 32.8% | 223.8 |
| 2 | Cancer | 6,517 | 25.8% | 173.6 |
| 3 | CLRD | 2,517 | 10.0% | 66.7 |
| 4 | Unintentional injuries | 1,625 | 6.4% | 51.8 |
| 5 | Stroke | 1,612 | 6.4% | 43.8 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 1,436 | 5.7% | 39.4 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 1,180 | 4.7% | 32.4 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 725 | 2.9% | 19.7 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 720 | 2.9% | 19.8 |
| 10 | Suicide | 631 | 2.5% | 20.8 |
In Arkansas, does a high death count mean a high rate?
10 causes of death in Arkansas plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Arkansas's causes (r=1.00) -- the causes with the most deaths here also tend to carry the highest per-capita rate.
Causes of death in Arkansas by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 8270 deaths, 223.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 6517 deaths, 173.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 2517 deaths, 66.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 1625 deaths, 51.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 1612 deaths, 43.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 1436 deaths, 39.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 1180 deaths, 32.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 725 deaths, 19.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 720 deaths, 19.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 631 deaths, 20.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
Mortality Trends Over Time
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 22,012 | 76.7 | - |
| 2000 | 22,086 | 76.3 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 22,102 | 75.9 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 22,694 | 77.4 | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 22,073 | 74.7 | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 21,762 | 73.0 | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 22,091 | 73.2 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 21,791 | 70.7 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 21,986 | 70.4 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 22,853 | 72.0 | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 22,388 | 69.7 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 22,360 | 68.8 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 22,738 | 68.3 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 22,699 | 67.3 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 22,990 | 67.1 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 23,178 | 66.8 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 24,453 | 69.3 | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 24,413 | 68.1 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 25,233 | 69.2 | +3.4% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Arkansas (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas (this state) | 8,270 | Heart disease | 223.8 |
| Louisiana | 11,260 | Heart disease | 214.4 |
| Mississippi | 7,944 | Heart disease | 231.6 |
| Missouri | 14,820 | Heart disease | 191.1 |
| Oklahoma | 10,772 | Heart disease | 237.2 |
| Tennessee | 16,019 | Heart disease | 202.2 |
| Texas | 45,346 | Heart disease | 169.2 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Arkansas in 2017, drawn from the higher-rate third's nearest neighbors on published age-adjusted rates. Border neighbors stay in the table above.
Peer states by mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (69.2/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Closest match: suicide rate (X60-X84)
Nearest jurisdictions by suicide age-adjusted rate, excluding the mean-rate peer set and bordering states.
Data source & methodology
Rates are per 100,000 population. Age-adjusted rates use the year 2000 US standard population. Data covers 1999-2017. Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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.