State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
California - Mortality Statistics
206,761 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 47.6 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 206,761
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- −14%
- vs national avg
- 47.6
- Avg age-adj /100K
Explore this data your own way
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.
Heavy death-count book
What this means: 206,761 tracked deaths in 2017 put California in the heaviest third of state volumes. Sitting below the national figure is a favorable aggregate signal, but it can still mask individual causes running hotter than the national picture -- worth checking the full causes table above.
Lower-rate third on mean age-adjusted leading causes (2017). Heart disease still leads locally. 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 06 · CDC WONDER 2017
California at a glance
2017: 206,761 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 47.6/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #46/51 · 14% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Colorado (+0.3/100K).
California in the lower-rate third
In 2017, CDC WONDER tallied 206,761 deaths in California across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories. Heart disease led the record with 62,797 deaths at an age-adjusted rate of 142.9 per 100,000, placing California at #41 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes accounted for 168,787 deaths (81.6% of the state total). That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
Sitting below the national figure is a favorable aggregate signal, but it can still mask individual causes running hotter than the national picture -- worth checking the full causes table above.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around California
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 168,787 deaths (81.6% of all deaths) in California.
Every Cause of Death Tracked in California, 2017
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 62,797 | 30.4% | 142.9 |
| 2 | Cancer | 59,516 | 28.8% | 136.8 |
| 3 | Stroke | 16,355 | 7.9% | 37.6 |
| 4 | Alzheimer's disease | 16,238 | 7.9% | 37.1 |
| 5 | CLRD | 13,881 | 6.7% | 32.2 |
| 6 | Unintentional injuries | 13,840 | 6.7% | 33.2 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 9,595 | 4.6% | 22.1 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 6,340 | 3.1% | 14.6 |
| 9 | Suicide | 4,312 | 2.1% | 10.5 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 3,887 | 1.9% | 8.9 |
Do the biggest causes also carry the highest rate in California?
10 causes of death in California plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across California'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 California by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 62797 deaths, 142.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 59516 deaths, 136.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 16355 deaths, 37.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 16238 deaths, 37.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 13881 deaths, 32.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 13840 deaths, 33.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 9595 deaths, 22.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 6340 deaths, 14.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 4312 deaths, 10.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 3887 deaths, 8.9 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 | 186,153 | 65.5 | - |
| 2000 | 184,789 | 63.9 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 185,627 | 62.7 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 189,105 | 62.5 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 192,388 | 62.1 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 185,881 | 59.1 | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 188,194 | 58.3 | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 187,124 | 57.0 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 184,297 | 54.8 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 184,292 | 53.4 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 182,633 | 51.6 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 183,002 | 50.7 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 185,950 | 49.8 | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 186,472 | 48.5 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 190,211 | 48.3 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 189,112 | 46.6 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 199,970 | 47.9 | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 202,300 | 47.5 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 206,761 | 47.6 | +2.2% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering California (2017).
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for California in 2017, drawn from the lower-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 (47.6/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Peer states by 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.