State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
North Dakota - Mortality Statistics
4,644 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 50.2 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 4,644
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- −10%
- vs national avg
- 50.2
- 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.
Thin death-count book
What this means: 4,644 tracked deaths in 2017 put North Dakota in the lightest third of state volumes. A rate below the national average is a positive aggregate sign, though it summarizes every tracked cause into one number, so it's worth scanning the individual causes for outliers.
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 38 · CDC WONDER 2017
Mortality desk for North Dakota
2017: 4,644 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 50.2/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #38/51 · 10% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Arizona (-0.1/100K).
North Dakota in the lower-rate third
North Dakota recorded 4,644 total deaths in 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER cause-of-death categories. The single largest contributor was Heart disease (1,326 deaths, 137.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted) -- nationally, that puts the state at #45 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. Together, the top five causes made up 79.5% of all deaths recorded (3,690). That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
A rate below the national average is a positive aggregate sign, though it summarizes every tracked cause into one number, so it's worth scanning the individual causes for outliers.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around North Dakota
5 Causes That Lead Mortality Here
The five leading causes account for 3,690 deaths (79.5% of all deaths) in North Dakota.
Every Cause of Death Tracked in North Dakota, 2017
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 1,326 | 28.6% | 137.8 |
| 2 | Cancer | 1,280 | 27.6% | 142.6 |
| 3 | Alzheimer's disease | 387 | 8.3% | 36.5 |
| 4 | CLRD | 358 | 7.7% | 38.3 |
| 5 | Unintentional injuries | 339 | 7.3% | 41.3 |
| 6 | Stroke | 337 | 7.3% | 35.4 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 194 | 4.2% | 21.8 |
| 8 | Suicide | 154 | 3.3% | 20.1 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 147 | 3.2% | 15.3 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 122 | 2.6% | 12.9 |
North Dakota's causes, plotted by count and by rate
10 causes of death in North Dakota plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across North Dakota'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 Dakota by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 1326 deaths, 137.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 1280 deaths, 142.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 387 deaths, 36.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 358 deaths, 38.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 339 deaths, 41.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 337 deaths, 35.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 194 deaths, 21.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 154 deaths, 20.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 147 deaths, 15.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 122 deaths, 12.9 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 | 4,925 | 64.4 | - |
| 2000 | 4,737 | 61.5 | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 4,855 | 62.5 | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 4,771 | 61.2 | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 4,899 | 62.2 | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 4,555 | 56.8 | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 4,563 | 56.8 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 4,713 | 58.1 | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 4,457 | 54.4 | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 4,612 | 56.0 | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 4,602 | 55.3 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 4,578 | 54.0 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 4,541 | 52.7 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 4,492 | 51.7 | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 4,570 | 51.9 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 4,631 | 52.0 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 4,655 | 52.0 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 4,499 | 49.6 | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 4,644 | 50.2 | +3.2% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering North Dakota (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota (this state) | 1,326 | Heart disease | 137.8 |
| Minnesota | 9,896 | Cancer | 146.8 |
| Montana | 2,164 | Heart disease | 155.0 |
| South Dakota | 1,715 | Cancer | 156.9 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for North Dakota in 2017, drawn from the lower-rate third's nearest neighbors on published age-adjusted rates. Border neighbors stay in the table above.
Similar mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (50.2/100K 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.