State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Delaware - Mortality Statistics
6,902 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 56.0 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 6,902
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- +1%
- vs national avg
- 56.0
- 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.
Thin death-count book
What this means: 6,902 tracked deaths in 2017 put Delaware in the lightest third of state volumes. Small absolute counts make year-to-year swings noisier; pair the rate with the multi-year chart below.
Thin-volume third (6,902 deaths in 2017). Rate comparisons matter more than raw counts; see /methodology#corpus-placement.
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.
FIPS 10 · CDC WONDER 2017
Delaware at a glance
2017: 6,902 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 56.0/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #19/51 · 1% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: South Dakota (-0.5/100K).
Delaware in the thin-volume third
Across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories, CDC WONDER logged 6,902 deaths in Delaware during 2017. Cancer led with 2,085 deaths (160.4 per 100,000, age-adjusted), putting the state at #17 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate nationally. The five biggest causes account for 5,780 deaths, or 83.7% of the state total. Raw death volume sits in the lightest third; read rates alongside counts before comparing to large states.
Running above the national figure, even modestly, is worth tracking over time -- small persistent gaps often trace back to the same access and chronic-disease factors that drive larger ones.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Delaware
Top 5 Causes of Death
The five leading causes account for 5,780 deaths (83.7% of all deaths) in Delaware.
All Causes of Death in Delaware (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 2,085 | 30.2% | 160.4 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 1,990 | 28.8% | 158.4 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 608 | 8.8% | 61.9 |
| 4 | Stroke | 571 | 8.3% | 46.2 |
| 5 | CLRD | 526 | 7.6% | 40.8 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 377 | 5.5% | 30.6 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 244 | 3.5% | 19.1 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 205 | 3.0% | 16.1 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 184 | 2.7% | 14.9 |
| 10 | Suicide | 112 | 1.6% | 11.6 |
Delaware's causes, plotted by count and by rate
10 causes of death in Delaware plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Delaware'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 Delaware by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 2085 deaths, 160.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 1990 deaths, 158.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 608 deaths, 61.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 571 deaths, 46.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 526 deaths, 40.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 377 deaths, 30.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 244 deaths, 19.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 205 deaths, 16.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 184 deaths, 14.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 112 deaths, 11.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
The Trend Line Behind This Data
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5,334 | 70.4 | - |
| 2000 | 5,378 | 70.0 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 5,548 | 70.4 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 5,288 | 65.4 | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 5,516 | 66.4 | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 5,562 | 65.1 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 5,704 | 64.8 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 5,464 | 60.0 | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 5,628 | 60.1 | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 5,732 | 59.4 | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 5,569 | 56.4 | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 5,703 | 56.7 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 5,745 | 55.6 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 5,762 | 54.2 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 5,929 | 53.8 | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 6,084 | 53.7 | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 6,339 | 54.3 | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 6,655 | 55.5 | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 6,902 | 56.0 | +3.7% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Delaware (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware (this state) | 2,085 | Cancer | 160.4 |
| Maryland | 11,653 | Heart disease | 164.5 |
| New Jersey | 18,840 | Heart disease | 162.3 |
| Pennsylvania | 32,312 | Heart disease | 176.0 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Delaware in 2017. Volume is thin, so peers are nearest on rates rather than counts. Border neighbors stay above.
Closest match: mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (56.0/100K here), excluding bordering states.
States near this 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.