State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Minnesota - Mortality Statistics
31,431 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 46.5 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 31,431
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- −16%
- vs national avg
- 46.5
- Avg age-adj /100K
Compare or explore this data
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: Minnesota sits in the bottom third by mean age-adjusted rate (46.5/100K; corpus #49 of 51). 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.
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 27 · CDC WONDER 2017
Mortality desk for Minnesota
2017: 31,431 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 46.5/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #49/51 · 16% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: New York (+0.1/100K).
Minnesota in the lower-rate third
In 2017, CDC WONDER tallied 31,431 deaths in Minnesota across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories. Cancer led the record with 9,896 deaths at an age-adjusted rate of 146.8 per 100,000, placing Minnesota at #37 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The top five causes accounted for 25,852 deaths (82.3% of the state total). That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
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 Minnesota
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 25,852 deaths (82.3% of all deaths) in Minnesota.
The Complete 2017 Cause List for Minnesota
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 9,896 | 31.5% | 146.8 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 8,230 | 26.2% | 119.1 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 2,788 | 8.9% | 44.6 |
| 4 | Alzheimer's disease | 2,474 | 7.9% | 34.9 |
| 5 | CLRD | 2,464 | 7.8% | 36.3 |
| 6 | Stroke | 2,250 | 7.2% | 32.6 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 1,312 | 4.2% | 19.3 |
| 8 | Suicide | 783 | 2.5% | 13.9 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 697 | 2.2% | 9.9 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 537 | 1.7% | 7.7 |
Deaths vs. rate: how Minnesota's causes line up
10 causes of death in Minnesota plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Minnesota'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 Minnesota by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 9896 deaths, 146.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 8230 deaths, 119.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 2788 deaths, 44.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 2474 deaths, 34.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 2464 deaths, 36.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 2250 deaths, 32.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 1312 deaths, 19.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 783 deaths, 13.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 697 deaths, 9.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 537 deaths, 7.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
Mortality Trends 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 | 29,639 | 60.5 | - |
| 2000 | 28,842 | 58.4 | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 28,583 | 56.9 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 28,972 | 56.7 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 28,149 | 54.2 | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 27,536 | 52.2 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 27,655 | 51.6 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 26,864 | 49.2 | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 26,888 | 48.2 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 27,703 | 48.8 | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 27,237 | 47.1 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 27,669 | 47.1 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 28,071 | 46.7 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 28,035 | 45.7 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 28,752 | 45.8 | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 28,993 | 45.4 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 30,049 | 46.0 | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 30,291 | 45.6 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 31,431 | 46.5 | +3.8% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Minnesota (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (this state) | 9,896 | Cancer | 146.8 |
| Iowa | 7,180 | Heart disease | 167.4 |
| North Dakota | 1,326 | Heart disease | 137.8 |
| 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 Minnesota 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 (46.5/100K 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.