State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Maryland - Mortality Statistics
34,836 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 49.6 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 34,836
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- −11%
- vs national avg
- 49.6
- 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: Maryland's mean age-adjusted rate runs 11% below the national figure (49.6 vs 55.5/100K). A below-average state-level rate indicates relatively better mortality outcomes in aggregate, though individual causes within the state may still exceed national benchmarks and warrant separate examination.
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 24 · CDC WONDER 2017
Maryland mortality desk
2017: 34,836 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 49.6/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #43/51 · 11% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Alaska (+0.3/100K).
Maryland in the lower-rate third
In 2017, CDC WONDER tallied 34,836 deaths in Maryland across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories. Heart disease led the record with 11,653 deaths at an age-adjusted rate of 164.5 per 100,000, placing Maryland at #21 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes accounted for 29,756 deaths (85.4% of the state total). That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
A below-average state-level rate indicates relatively better mortality outcomes in aggregate, though individual causes within the state may still exceed national benchmarks and warrant separate examination.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Maryland
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 29,756 deaths (85.4% of all deaths) in Maryland.
Maryland's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 11,653 | 33.5% | 164.5 |
| 2 | Cancer | 10,796 | 31.0% | 151.5 |
| 3 | Stroke | 2,820 | 8.1% | 40.2 |
| 4 | Unintentional injuries | 2,408 | 6.9% | 36.9 |
| 5 | CLRD | 2,079 | 6.0% | 29.9 |
| 6 | Diabetes | 1,439 | 4.1% | 20.3 |
| 7 | Alzheimer's disease | 1,191 | 3.4% | 17.1 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 990 | 2.8% | 14.0 |
| 9 | Kidney disease | 830 | 2.4% | 11.9 |
| 10 | Suicide | 630 | 1.8% | 9.9 |
Maryland's causes, plotted by count and by rate
10 causes of death in Maryland plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Maryland'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 Maryland by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 11653 deaths, 164.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 10796 deaths, 151.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 2820 deaths, 40.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 2408 deaths, 36.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 2079 deaths, 29.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 1439 deaths, 20.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 1191 deaths, 17.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 990 deaths, 14 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 830 deaths, 11.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 630 deaths, 9.9 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 | 32,595 | 69.0 | - |
| 2000 | 33,212 | 69.3 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 33,141 | 67.5 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 33,103 | 66.0 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 33,176 | 64.7 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 32,186 | 61.5 | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 32,489 | 60.7 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 31,767 | 58.1 | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 31,663 | 56.8 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 31,839 | 55.8 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 31,863 | 54.5 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 31,355 | 52.6 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 31,257 | 51.0 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 31,902 | 50.7 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 32,528 | 50.3 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 32,561 | 49.5 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 33,433 | 49.6 | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 34,323 | 50.0 | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 34,836 | 49.6 | +1.5% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Maryland (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland (this state) | 11,653 | Heart disease | 164.5 |
| Delaware | 2,085 | Cancer | 160.4 |
| District of Columbia | 1,284 | Heart disease | 189.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 32,312 | Heart disease | 176.0 |
| Virginia | 15,064 | Cancer | 152.6 |
| West Virginia | 4,849 | Heart disease | 192.0 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Maryland in 2017, drawn from the lower-rate third's nearest neighbors on published age-adjusted rates. Border neighbors stay in the table above.
Closest match: mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (49.6/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Similar 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.