State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Massachusetts - Mortality Statistics
40,574 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 46.8 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 40,574
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- −16%
- vs national avg
- 46.8
- 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.
Lower mean age-adjusted rate
What this means: Massachusetts sits in the bottom third by mean age-adjusted rate (46.8/100K; corpus #47 of 51). 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.
Lower-rate third on mean age-adjusted leading causes (2017). Cancer 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 25 · CDC WONDER 2017
Massachusetts mortality desk
2017: 40,574 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 46.8/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #47/51 · 16% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: New York (-0.2/100K).
Massachusetts in the lower-rate third
Across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories, CDC WONDER logged 40,574 deaths in Massachusetts during 2017. Cancer led with 12,934 deaths (149.3 per 100,000, age-adjusted), putting the state at #35 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate nationally. The five biggest causes account for 34,104 deaths, or 84.1% of the state total. That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
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 Massachusetts
5 Causes That Lead Mortality Here
The five leading causes account for 34,104 deaths (84.1% of all deaths) in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 12,934 | 31.9% | 149.3 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 12,140 | 29.9% | 134.7 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 3,821 | 9.4% | 51.5 |
| 4 | CLRD | 2,842 | 7.0% | 32.5 |
| 5 | Stroke | 2,367 | 5.8% | 26.5 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 1,841 | 4.5% | 19.9 |
| 7 | Influenza and pneumonia | 1,433 | 3.5% | 15.9 |
| 8 | Diabetes | 1,321 | 3.3% | 15.1 |
| 9 | Kidney disease | 1,193 | 2.9% | 13.4 |
| 10 | Suicide | 682 | 1.7% | 9.5 |
Massachusetts's causes, plotted by count and by rate
10 causes of death in Massachusetts plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 12934 deaths, 149.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 12140 deaths, 134.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 3821 deaths, 51.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 2842 deaths, 32.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 2367 deaths, 26.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 1841 deaths, 19.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 1433 deaths, 15.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 1321 deaths, 15.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 1193 deaths, 13.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 682 deaths, 9.5 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 | 43,435 | 63.3 | - |
| 2000 | 43,782 | 63.1 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 43,103 | 61.6 | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 43,180 | 61.1 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 42,549 | 59.5 | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 40,991 | 56.9 | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 40,727 | 56.0 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 40,281 | 54.8 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 39,348 | 52.8 | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 39,576 | 52.2 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 38,502 | 50.2 | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 38,066 | 48.9 | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 38,197 | 48.2 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 37,595 | 46.6 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 38,425 | 46.8 | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 38,408 | 46.1 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 39,963 | 47.4 | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 39,608 | 46.7 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 40,574 | 46.8 | +2.4% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Massachusetts (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts (this state) | 12,934 | Cancer | 149.3 |
| Connecticut | 7,138 | Heart disease | 141.6 |
| New Hampshire | 2,760 | Cancer | 153.5 |
| New York | 44,092 | Heart disease | 171.2 |
| Rhode Island | 2,339 | Heart disease | 155.7 |
| Vermont | 1,434 | Cancer | 164.5 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Massachusetts in 2017, drawn from the lower-rate third's nearest neighbors on published age-adjusted rates. Border neighbors stay in the table above.
Peer states by mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (46.8/100K 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.