What’s killing North Carolinians? These are the state’s leading causes of death
Causes of deaths vary for North Carolinians, but certain medical conditions and types of accidents, data shows, stand out as leaders at a statewide level.
Although COVID-19 rose among the ranks of leading causes of death amid the pandemic, it did not become the top killer in the state, data shows. The same two leading causes of death in North Carolina from before COVID-19 hit — heart disease and cancer — retained those spots more than a year into the pandemic.
Here’s what to know about the leading causes of death in North Carolina:
Note: This chart, using the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, provides a look at some of the leading causes of death in North Carolina, but not every cause.
The data is age-adjusted and will continue to update as more recent figures are made available.
Leading causes of death in North Carolina
Some takeaways from the data:
- COVID-19 rose to the third leading cause of death in North Carolina by June 2021, accounting for 98.2 deaths per 100,000.
- Heart disease and cancer have held steady as the leading causes of death in North Carolina, accounting for, respectively, 160.1 and 150.4 deaths per 100,000 as of June 2021.
- Unintentional injuries — which, per the CDC’s definition, include unintentional drownings, motor vehicle crashes, falls and poisonings — made up another significant portion of deaths in North Carolina, 69.1 per 100,000.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 10:22 AM.
