State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
West Virginia - Mortality Statistics
17,055 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 69.9 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 17,055
- Deaths, 2017
- Heart disease
- Leading cause
- +26%
- vs national avg
- 69.9
- Avg age-adj /100K
Explore this data your own way
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.
Above national mean rate
What this means: West Virginia's mean age-adjusted rate runs 26% above the national figure (69.9 vs 55.5/100K). Few states post a gap this large above the national rate by chance -- it usually reflects a combination of higher chronic-disease prevalence, weaker healthcare access, and regional socioeconomic pressure working together.
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 54 · CDC WONDER 2017
Mortality desk for West Virginia
2017: 17,055 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 69.9/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #3/51 · 26% above US avg. Nearest rate peer: Oklahoma (+0.0/100K).
West Virginia in the higher-rate third
Across 10 tracked cause-of-death categories, CDC WONDER logged 17,055 deaths in West Virginia during 2017. Heart disease led with 4,849 deaths (192.0 per 100,000, age-adjusted), putting the state at #10 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate nationally. The five biggest causes account for 14,134 deaths, or 82.9% of the state total. Among jurisdictions with published CDC WONDER leading-cause files, that mean rate lands in the higher third.
Few states post a gap this large above the national rate by chance -- it usually reflects a combination of higher chronic-disease prevalence, weaker healthcare access, and regional socioeconomic pressure working together.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around West Virginia
Leading Causes of Death, Top 5
The five leading causes account for 14,134 deaths (82.9% of all deaths) in West Virginia.
All Causes of Death in West Virginia (2017)
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 4,849 | 28.4% | 192.0 |
| 2 | Cancer | 4,654 | 27.3% | 179.4 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 1,892 | 11.1% | 100.3 |
| 4 | CLRD | 1,681 | 9.9% | 64.3 |
| 5 | Stroke | 1,058 | 6.2% | 41.8 |
| 6 | Diabetes | 864 | 5.1% | 34.0 |
| 7 | Alzheimer's disease | 770 | 4.5% | 30.6 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 458 | 2.7% | 18.2 |
| 9 | Kidney disease | 436 | 2.6% | 17.1 |
| 10 | Suicide | 393 | 2.3% | 21.1 |
West Virginia's causes, plotted by count and by rate
10 causes of death in West Virginia plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across West Virginia's causes (r=0.99) -- the causes with the most deaths here also tend to carry the highest per-capita rate.
Causes of death in West Virginia by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Heart disease, 4849 deaths, 192 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Cancer, 4654 deaths, 179.4 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 1892 deaths, 100.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 1681 deaths, 64.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 1058 deaths, 41.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 864 deaths, 34 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 770 deaths, 30.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 458 deaths, 18.2 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 436 deaths, 17.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 393 deaths, 21.1 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 | 17,083 | 81.7 | - |
| 2000 | 16,845 | 80.2 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 16,749 | 79.5 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 16,701 | 78.9 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 16,942 | 79.4 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 16,423 | 76.5 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 16,021 | 73.7 | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 15,875 | 72.3 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 16,105 | 72.5 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 16,454 | 73.3 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 15,838 | 69.4 | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 15,962 | 69.6 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 16,354 | 71.0 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 16,222 | 69.2 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 16,037 | 67.5 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 16,382 | 68.3 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 16,687 | 68.9 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 16,681 | 68.9 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 17,055 | 69.9 | +2.2% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering West Virginia (2017).
| State | Deaths (Top Cause) | Leading Cause | Age-Adj Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia (this state) | 4,849 | Heart disease | 192.0 |
| Kentucky | 10,343 | Heart disease | 195.9 |
| Maryland | 11,653 | Heart disease | 164.5 |
| Ohio | 28,008 | Heart disease | 186.2 |
| Pennsylvania | 32,312 | Heart disease | 176.0 |
| Virginia | 15,064 | Cancer | 152.6 |
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for West Virginia in 2017, drawn from the higher-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 (69.9/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Similar 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.