State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Ohio - Mortality Statistics
91,436 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 62.7 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 91,436
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- +13%
- vs national avg
- 62.7
- 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.
Heavy death-count book
What this means: 91,436 tracked deaths in 2017 put Ohio in the heaviest third of state volumes. An above-average state-level rate signals elevated mortality burden relative to the country overall, often correlating with a mix of chronic-disease prevalence, healthcare access gaps, smoking and obesity rates, and socioeconomic factors that vary by region.
Higher-rate third on mean age-adjusted leading causes (2017). Heart disease 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 39 · CDC WONDER 2017
Ohio at a glance
2017: 91,436 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 62.7/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #9/51 · 13% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: Indiana (-0.9/100K).
Ohio in the higher-rate third
Ohio recorded 91,436 total deaths in 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER cause-of-death categories. The single largest contributor was Heart disease (28,008 deaths, 186.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted) -- nationally, that puts the state at #13 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. Together, the top five causes made up 83.5% of all deaths recorded (76,359). Among jurisdictions with published CDC WONDER leading-cause files, that mean rate lands in the higher third.
An above-average state-level rate signals elevated mortality burden relative to the country overall, often correlating with a mix of chronic-disease prevalence, healthcare access gaps, smoking and obesity rates, and socioeconomic factors that vary by region.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Ohio
Top 5 Causes of Death
The five leading causes account for 76,359 deaths (83.5% of all deaths) in Ohio.
Ohio's Full Mortality Breakdown (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 28,008 | 30.6% | 186.2 |
| 2 | Cancer | 25,643 | 28.0% | 171.2 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 8,971 | 9.8% | 75.1 |
| 4 | CLRD | 7,312 | 8.0% | 48.5 |
| 5 | Stroke | 6,425 | 7.0% | 42.8 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 5,117 | 5.6% | 33.6 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 3,740 | 4.1% | 25.2 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 2,243 | 2.5% | 14.9 |
| 9 | Kidney disease | 2,237 | 2.4% | 15.0 |
| 10 | Suicide | 1,740 | 1.9% | 14.8 |
In Ohio, does a high death count mean a high rate?
10 causes of death in Ohio plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Ohio'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 Ohio by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 28008 deaths, 186.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 25643 deaths, 171.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 8971 deaths, 75.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 7312 deaths, 48.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 6425 deaths, 42.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 5117 deaths, 33.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 3740 deaths, 25.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 2243 deaths, 14.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 2237 deaths, 15 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 1740 deaths, 14.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
Mortality, Year by Year
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 86,413 | 74.2 | - |
| 2000 | 85,796 | 73.1 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 85,535 | 72.1 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 86,268 | 71.9 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 84,467 | 69.4 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 82,610 | 67.2 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 83,933 | 67.5 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 81,920 | 64.8 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 81,446 | 63.4 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 83,506 | 64.1 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 79,237 | 60.0 | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 81,902 | 61.3 | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 82,804 | 61.0 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 83,311 | 60.4 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 83,304 | 59.5 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 84,827 | 59.9 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 87,860 | 61.4 | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 88,675 | 61.6 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 91,436 | 62.7 | +3.1% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Ohio (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio (this state) | 28,008 | Heart disease | 186.2 |
| Indiana | 14,445 | Heart disease | 183.2 |
| Kentucky | 10,343 | Heart disease | 195.9 |
| Michigan | 25,187 | Heart disease | 196.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 32,312 | Heart disease | 176.0 |
| West Virginia | 4,849 | Heart disease | 192.0 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Ohio in 2017, drawn from the higher-rate third's nearest neighbors on published age-adjusted rates. Border neighbors stay in the table above.
States near this mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (62.7/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Closest match: 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.