State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Maine - Mortality Statistics
10,774 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 56.6 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 10,774
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- +2%
- vs national avg
- 56.6
- 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.
Thin death-count book
What this means: 10,774 tracked deaths in 2017 put Maine 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 (10,774 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 23 · CDC WONDER 2017
Maine mortality desk
2017: 10,774 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 56.6/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #18/51 · 2% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: North Carolina (+0.2/100K).
Maine in the thin-volume third
10,774 deaths were recorded in Maine for 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER categories. Leading the record is Cancer, with 3,391 deaths at 170.8 per 100,000 (age-adjusted) -- nationally Maine sits at #9 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes together represent 83.0% of the state's total (8,943 deaths). Raw death volume sits in the lightest third; read rates alongside counts before comparing to large states.
A modest gap above the national rate is common and not necessarily alarming on its own, but it's worth pairing with the trend below to see whether the state is closing the gap or widening it.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Maine
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 8,943 deaths (83.0% of all deaths) in Maine.
Maine's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 3,391 | 31.5% | 170.8 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 2,844 | 26.4% | 143.5 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 990 | 9.2% | 68.0 |
| 4 | CLRD | 982 | 9.1% | 48.7 |
| 5 | Stroke | 736 | 6.8% | 37.5 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 601 | 5.6% | 30.4 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 395 | 3.7% | 19.8 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 301 | 2.8% | 15.2 |
| 9 | Suicide | 274 | 2.5% | 18.9 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 260 | 2.4% | 13.0 |
In Maine, does a high death count mean a high rate?
10 causes of death in Maine plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Maine's causes (r=0.99) -- the causes with the most deaths here also tend to carry the highest per-capita rate.
Causes of death in Maine by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 3391 deaths, 170.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 2844 deaths, 143.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 990 deaths, 68 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 982 deaths, 48.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 736 deaths, 37.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 601 deaths, 30.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 395 deaths, 19.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 301 deaths, 15.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 274 deaths, 18.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 260 deaths, 13 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
Mortality, Year by Year
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 9,971 | 70.3 | - |
| 2000 | 9,966 | 69.2 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 9,936 | 67.7 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 10,133 | 68.0 | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 9,920 | 65.5 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 9,756 | 63.6 | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 9,899 | 63.5 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 9,428 | 59.3 | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 9,461 | 58.4 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 9,472 | 57.2 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 9,413 | 56.2 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 9,397 | 55.0 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 9,523 | 54.9 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 9,370 | 53.0 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 9,729 | 54.0 | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 9,748 | 53.1 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 10,580 | 57.1 | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 10,418 | 55.6 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 10,774 | 56.6 | +3.4% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Maine (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine (this state) | 3,391 | Cancer | 170.8 |
| New Hampshire | 2,760 | Cancer | 153.5 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Maine 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 (56.6/100K 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.