State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Iowa - Mortality Statistics
22,459 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 54.3 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 22,459
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- −2%
- vs national avg
- 54.3
- 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.
Below national mean rate
What this means: Iowa's mean age-adjusted rate runs 2% below the national figure (54.3 vs 55.5/100K). 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.
Heart disease leads Iowa in 2017. Mean age-adjusted rate 54.3/100K (2% below national). See /methodology#corpus-placement.
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.
FIPS 19 · CDC WONDER 2017
Mortality desk for Iowa
2017: 22,459 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 54.3/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #23/51 · 2% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Montana (-0.2/100K).
Iowa mortality desk (2017)
22,459 deaths were recorded in Iowa for 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER categories. Leading the record is Heart disease, with 7,180 deaths at 167.4 per 100,000 (age-adjusted) -- nationally Iowa sits at #20 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes together represent 83.3% of the state's total (18,701 deaths).
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 Iowa
The 5 Leading Causes of Death
The five leading causes account for 18,701 deaths (83.3% of all deaths) in Iowa.
All Causes of Death in Iowa (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 7,180 | 32.0% | 167.4 |
| 2 | Cancer | 6,449 | 28.7% | 158.0 |
| 3 | CLRD | 1,939 | 8.6% | 46.5 |
| 4 | Alzheimer's disease | 1,597 | 7.1% | 35.3 |
| 5 | Unintentional injuries | 1,536 | 6.8% | 42.8 |
| 6 | Stroke | 1,416 | 6.3% | 32.8 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 918 | 4.1% | 22.8 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 578 | 2.6% | 13.2 |
| 9 | Suicide | 479 | 2.1% | 15.0 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 367 | 1.6% | 8.8 |
In Iowa, does a high death count mean a high rate?
10 causes of death in Iowa plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Iowa'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 Iowa by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 7180 deaths, 167.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 6449 deaths, 158 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 1939 deaths, 46.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 1597 deaths, 35.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 1536 deaths, 42.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 1416 deaths, 32.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 918 deaths, 22.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 578 deaths, 13.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 479 deaths, 15 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 367 deaths, 8.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
How Mortality Has Changed 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 | 23,131 | 65.7 | - |
| 2000 | 22,714 | 64.3 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 22,448 | 63.0 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 22,703 | 63.3 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 22,467 | 62.2 | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 21,421 | 58.9 | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 21,985 | 60.0 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 21,346 | 57.6 | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 21,166 | 56.4 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 22,163 | 58.6 | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 21,200 | 55.8 | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 21,145 | 55.1 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 21,425 | 55.1 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 21,455 | 54.4 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 21,803 | 54.7 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 21,618 | 53.6 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 22,095 | 54.2 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 21,940 | 53.6 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 22,459 | 54.3 | +2.4% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Iowa (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa (this state) | 7,180 | Heart disease | 167.4 |
| Illinois | 25,394 | Heart disease | 163.3 |
| Minnesota | 9,896 | Cancer | 146.8 |
| Missouri | 14,820 | Heart disease | 191.1 |
| Nebraska | 3,581 | Heart disease | 149.3 |
| South Dakota | 1,715 | Cancer | 156.9 |
| Wisconsin | 11,860 | Heart disease | 157.6 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Iowa in 2017. Border neighbors stay in the table above; these lists are nearest other jurisdictions on published age-adjusted rates.
States near this mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (54.3/100K 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.