State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Illinois - Mortality Statistics
80,704 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 53.1 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 80,704
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- −4%
- vs national avg
- 53.1
- Avg age-adj /100K
Build your own comparison
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: 80,704 tracked deaths in 2017 put Illinois in the heaviest third of state volumes. Large absolute counts can dominate headlines even when age-adjusted rates sit near the national figure.
Heavy-volume third (80,704 deaths in 2017). Prefer age-adjusted rates when comparing to smaller states; see /methodology#corpus-placement.
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.
FIPS 17 · CDC WONDER 2017
Illinois: the mortality desk
2017: 80,704 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 53.1/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #29/51 · 4% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Wisconsin (+0.2/100K).
Illinois in the heavy-volume third
Across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories, CDC WONDER logged 80,704 deaths in Illinois during 2017. Heart disease led with 25,394 deaths (163.3 per 100,000, age-adjusted), putting the state at #22 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate nationally. The five biggest causes account for 67,315 deaths, or 83.4% of the state total. Raw death volume sits in the heaviest third of states even when rates are age-adjusted.
A below-national rate like this one is a favorable aggregate read, but aggregate numbers can hide a cause or two running above benchmark even while the overall picture looks good.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Illinois
The 5 Leading Causes of Death
The five leading causes account for 67,315 deaths (83.4% of all deaths) in Illinois.
Illinois's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 25,394 | 31.5% | 163.3 |
| 2 | Cancer | 24,150 | 29.9% | 157.9 |
| 3 | Stroke | 6,020 | 7.5% | 38.9 |
| 4 | Unintentional injuries | 6,019 | 7.5% | 44.4 |
| 5 | CLRD | 5,732 | 7.1% | 37.6 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 4,021 | 5.0% | 25.6 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 2,927 | 3.6% | 19.2 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 2,565 | 3.2% | 16.8 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 2,402 | 3.0% | 15.6 |
| 10 | Suicide | 1,474 | 1.8% | 11.2 |
Do the biggest causes also carry the highest rate in Illinois?
10 causes of death in Illinois plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Illinois'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 Illinois by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 25394 deaths, 163.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 24150 deaths, 157.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 6020 deaths, 38.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 6019 deaths, 44.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 5732 deaths, 37.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 4021 deaths, 25.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 2927 deaths, 19.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 2565 deaths, 16.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 2402 deaths, 15.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 1474 deaths, 11.2 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 | 86,423 | 72.3 | - |
| 2000 | 84,644 | 70.2 | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 83,082 | 68.2 | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 83,612 | 68.0 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 81,842 | 65.9 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 79,728 | 63.5 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 80,275 | 63.2 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 78,031 | 60.7 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 76,680 | 58.8 | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 78,470 | 59.3 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 75,554 | 56.4 | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 75,042 | 55.3 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 75,561 | 54.7 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 75,945 | 54.0 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 76,590 | 53.6 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 77,667 | 53.5 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 79,220 | 53.8 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 78,969 | 53.2 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 80,704 | 53.0 | +2.2% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Illinois (2017).
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Illinois in 2017. Volume is heavy here, so peers are nearest on rates, not on raw death counts. Border neighbors stay above.
Closest match: mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (53.1/100K 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.