State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017

Pennsylvania - Mortality Statistics

99,156 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 56.9 per 100,000.

Data updated 2017-12-31

99,156
Deaths, 2017: Heart disease
Leading cause: +3%
vs national avg: 56.9
Avg age-adj /100K

The verdict

Pennsylvania's leading killer is heart disease at 176.0 per 100K (age-adjusted); the state's average age-adjusted rate across tracked causes runs 3% above the national figure.

176.0
Heart disease /100K, leading: +3%
vs national avg rate: -20.3%
rate, 1999-2017: 99,156
total deaths, 2017

Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.

FIPS 42 · CDC WONDER 2017

Pennsylvania mortality desk

RATE-QUIET 56.9/100K DEATHS-LARGE 99K deaths RANK-UPPER #16/51 LEAD-CAUSE Heart disease · 176.0 NAT-INLINE +3% vs US TREND-STEEP-DOWN -20.3% 18y PHOTO-FINISH North Carolina · ±0.1 BOOK-FULL 10 causes · 2017

2017: 99,156 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 56.9/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #16/51 · 3% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: North Carolina (-0.1/100K).

Neighbourhood around Pennsylvania's 56.9/100K mean, not a full 51-state distribution reprint.

Top 5 Causes of Death

The five leading causes account for 83,593 deaths (84.3% of all deaths) in Pennsylvania.

1. Heart disease 32,312 (32.6%)

2. Cancer 28,387 (28.6%)

3. Unintentional injuries 9,527 (9.6%)

4. Stroke 6,700 (6.8%)

5. CLRD 6,667 (6.7%)

All Causes of Death in Pennsylvania (2017)

#	Cause of death	Deaths	% of total	Age-adj /100K
1	Heart disease	32,312	32.6%	176.0
2	Cancer	28,387	28.6%	161.0
3	Unintentional injuries	9,527	9.6%	70.2
4	Stroke	6,700	6.8%	36.5
5	CLRD	6,667	6.7%	37.1
6	Alzheimer's disease	4,213	4.2%	21.7
7	Diabetes	3,704	3.7%	21.1
8	Kidney disease	2,898	2.9%	15.9
9	Influenza and pneumonia	2,718	2.7%	14.6
10	Suicide	2,030	2.0%	15.0

Mortality Trends Over Time

Pennsylvania - average age-adjusted death rate across all leading causes.

Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)

Year	Total Deaths	Avg Age-Adj Rate	Deaths YoY
1999	104,388	71.4	-
2000	103,888	70.5	-0.5%
2001	101,796	68.5	-2.0%
2002	101,798	67.9	0.0%
2003	101,284	66.8	-0.5%
2004	99,099	65.0	-2.2%
2005	99,656	64.7	+0.6%
2006	94,960	60.9	-4.7%
2007	94,581	59.8	-0.4%
2008	96,326	60.3	+1.8%
2009	94,016	58.3	-2.4%
2010	92,980	57.0	-1.1%
2011	94,846	57.4	+2.0%
2012	93,274	55.7	-1.7%
2013	94,334	55.6	+1.1%
2014	94,090	54.9	-0.3%
2015	97,317	56.4	+3.4%
2016	97,164	56.3	-0.2%
2017	99,156	56.9	+2.1%

(Phase 2 - dim 5+6 connective signal). The card grid + this table used to show the SAME 3-5 neighbor states' SAME stats twice in a row -- merged into one section, the table absorbs the card grid's job since it already links each state name AND adds California's own row for direct comparison. -->

Nearby States & Comparisons

Compare mortality data with states bordering Pennsylvania (2017).

State	Deaths (Top Cause)	Leading Cause	Age-Adj Rate
Pennsylvania (this state)	32,312	Heart disease	176.0
Delaware	2,085	Cancer	160.4
Maryland	11,653	Heart disease	164.5
New Jersey	18,840	Heart disease	162.3
New York	44,092	Heart disease	171.2
Ohio	28,008	Heart disease	186.2
West Virginia	4,849	Heart disease	192.0

Compare leading causes of death in Pennsylvania →

States with similar CDC WONDER rates

Two non-border peer sets for Pennsylvania in 2017. Border neighbors stay in the table above; these lists are nearest other jurisdictions on published age-adjusted rates.

Similar mean leading-cause rate

Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (56.9/100K here), excluding bordering states.

North Carolina 56.8/100K Maine 56.6/100K Georgia 57.9/100K Nevada 58.3/100K

Similar suicide rate (X60-X84)

Nearest jurisdictions by suicide age-adjusted rate, excluding the mean-rate peer set and bordering states.

Iowa 15.0/100K Mississippi 15.0/100K Hawaii 15.2/100K Louisiana 15.2/100K

Dig deeper into Pennsylvania's mortality data

All causes in Pennsylvania → Compare Pennsylvania →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the leading cause of death in Pennsylvania? ▼

Heart disease tops the 2017 record for Pennsylvania, accounting for 32,312 deaths at 176.0 per 100,000 (age-adjusted).

How many people died in Pennsylvania in 2017? ▼

In 2017, there were 99,156 recorded deaths in Pennsylvania across 10 tracked causes of death.

What are the top 3 causes of death in Pennsylvania? ▼

The top 3 causes of death in Pennsylvania (2017) are: 1) Heart disease (32,312 deaths), 2) Cancer (28,387 deaths), and 3) Unintentional injuries (9,527 deaths).

How does Pennsylvania's mortality rate compare to the national average? ▼

Pennsylvania's average age-adjusted mortality rate is 56.9 per 100,000, which is above the national average of 55.5 per 100,000.

Has the death rate in Pennsylvania increased or decreased over time? ▼

From 1999 to 2017, total deaths in Pennsylvania changed by -5.0%. The average age-adjusted rate decreased by 20.3%.

What years of mortality data are available for Pennsylvania? ▼

Mortality data for Pennsylvania is available from 1999 to 2017, covering 19 years of CDC WONDER data.

Where does Pennsylvania rank nationally for Heart disease? ▼

Comparing all 51 tracked states on Heart disease, Pennsylvania's age-adjusted rate of 176.0 per 100,000 puts it at rank #15.

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, or report a data error. Data current as of 2017.