State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
North Carolina - Mortality Statistics
67,734 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 56.8 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 67,734
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- +2%
- vs national avg
- 56.8
- 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.
Heavy death-count book
What this means: 67,734 tracked deaths in 2017 put North Carolina in the heaviest third of state volumes. Running above the national figure, even modestly, is worth tracking over time -- small persistent gaps often trace back to the same access and chronic-disease factors that drive larger ones.
Higher-rate third on mean age-adjusted leading causes (2017). Cancer leads the 2017 file. 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 37 · CDC WONDER 2017
Mortality desk for North Carolina
2017: 67,734 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 56.8/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #17/51 · 2% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: Pennsylvania (+0.1/100K).
North Carolina in the higher-rate third
CDC WONDER's 2017 file shows 67,734 deaths across 10 tracked categories for North Carolina, with Cancer topping the list at 19,474 deaths and an age-adjusted rate of 157.1 per 100,000 -- ranking the state at #21 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The five leading causes combined account for 81.1% of the total (54,905 deaths). Among jurisdictions with published CDC WONDER leading-cause files, that mean rate lands in the higher third.
Running above the national figure, even modestly, is worth tracking over time -- small persistent gaps often trace back to the same access and chronic-disease factors that drive larger ones.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around North Carolina
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 54,905 deaths (81.1% of all deaths) in North Carolina.
North Carolina's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 19,474 | 28.8% | 157.1 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 18,808 | 27.8% | 156.5 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 5,985 | 8.8% | 56.3 |
| 4 | CLRD | 5,540 | 8.2% | 45.3 |
| 5 | Stroke | 5,098 | 7.5% | 43.0 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 4,289 | 6.3% | 37.3 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 2,903 | 4.3% | 23.6 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 2,076 | 3.1% | 17.5 |
| 9 | Kidney disease | 2,040 | 3.0% | 17.1 |
| 10 | Suicide | 1,521 | 2.2% | 14.3 |
In North Carolina, does a high death count mean a high rate?
10 causes of death in North Carolina plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across North Carolina'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 North Carolina by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 19474 deaths, 157.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 18808 deaths, 156.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 5985 deaths, 56.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 5540 deaths, 45.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 5098 deaths, 43 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 4289 deaths, 37.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 2903 deaths, 23.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 2076 deaths, 17.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 2040 deaths, 17.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 1521 deaths, 14.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
The Trend Line Behind This Data
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 54,932 | 73.7 | - |
| 2000 | 56,522 | 74.9 | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 55,286 | 71.5 | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 55,855 | 70.8 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 56,609 | 70.0 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 55,307 | 66.9 | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 56,700 | 66.8 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 56,305 | 63.9 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 57,084 | 62.8 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 57,732 | 61.7 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 57,137 | 59.4 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 57,777 | 58.8 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 58,234 | 57.4 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 59,388 | 56.7 | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 60,502 | 56.1 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 62,166 | 56.1 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 64,932 | 57.2 | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 65,751 | 56.5 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 67,734 | 56.8 | +3.0% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering North Carolina (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina (this state) | 19,474 | Cancer | 157.1 |
| Georgia | 18,389 | Heart disease | 175.8 |
| South Carolina | 10,418 | Heart disease | 172.0 |
| Tennessee | 16,019 | Heart disease | 202.2 |
| Virginia | 15,064 | Cancer | 152.6 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for North Carolina in 2017, drawn from the higher-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 (56.8/100K 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.