State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
Virginia - Mortality Statistics
49,323 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 51.5 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 49,323
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- −7%
- vs national avg
- 51.5
- 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.
Heavy death-count book
What this means: 49,323 tracked deaths in 2017 put Virginia in the heaviest third of state volumes. A below-national rate like this one is a favorable aggregate read, but aggregate numbers can hide a cause or two running above benchmark even while the overall picture looks good.
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 51 · CDC WONDER 2017
Virginia mortality desk
2017: 49,323 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 51.5/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #35/51 · 7% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Nebraska (+0.3/100K).
Virginia in the lower-rate third
CDC WONDER's 2017 file shows 49,323 deaths across 10 tracked categories for Virginia, with Cancer topping the list at 15,064 deaths and an age-adjusted rate of 152.6 per 100,000 -- ranking the state at #31 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. The five leading causes combined account for 82.6% of the total (40,765 deaths). That mean rate lands in the lower third of the 2017 corpus.
A below-national rate like this one is a favorable aggregate read, but aggregate numbers can hide a cause or two running above benchmark even while the overall picture looks good.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around Virginia
The 5 Leading Causes of Death
The five leading causes account for 40,765 deaths (82.6% of all deaths) in Virginia.
The Complete 2017 Cause List for Virginia
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 15,064 | 30.5% | 152.6 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 14,861 | 30.1% | 154.5 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 3,922 | 8.0% | 44.0 |
| 4 | Stroke | 3,555 | 7.2% | 37.5 |
| 5 | CLRD | 3,363 | 6.8% | 34.9 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 2,549 | 5.2% | 27.6 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 1,967 | 4.0% | 20.1 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 1,618 | 3.3% | 16.9 |
| 9 | Influenza and pneumonia | 1,245 | 2.5% | 13.1 |
| 10 | Suicide | 1,179 | 2.4% | 13.4 |
Do the biggest causes also carry the highest rate in Virginia?
10 causes of death in Virginia plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across Virginia'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 Virginia by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 15064 deaths, 152.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 14861 deaths, 154.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 3922 deaths, 44 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 3555 deaths, 37.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 3363 deaths, 34.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 2549 deaths, 27.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 1967 deaths, 20.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 1618 deaths, 16.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 1245 deaths, 13.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 1179 deaths, 13.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
How Mortality Has Changed 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 | 43,540 | 70.0 | - |
| 2000 | 44,166 | 69.9 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 43,766 | 67.7 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 44,186 | 66.9 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 44,766 | 66.3 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 43,425 | 63.0 | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 44,078 | 62.2 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 43,536 | 59.9 | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 43,533 | 58.5 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 43,908 | 57.6 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 43,417 | 55.4 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 43,404 | 54.3 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 44,260 | 53.8 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 44,235 | 52.2 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 44,825 | 51.6 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 45,738 | 51.4 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 47,512 | 52.0 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 47,952 | 51.3 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 49,323 | 51.5 | +2.9% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering Virginia (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia (this state) | 15,064 | Cancer | 152.6 |
| District of Columbia | 1,284 | Heart disease | 189.8 |
| Kentucky | 10,343 | Heart disease | 195.9 |
| Maryland | 11,653 | Heart disease | 164.5 |
| North Carolina | 19,474 | Cancer | 157.1 |
| Tennessee | 16,019 | Heart disease | 202.2 |
| West Virginia | 4,849 | Heart disease | 192.0 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for Virginia in 2017, drawn from the lower-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 (51.5/100K 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.