States ranked by cancer death rates

Mackenzie Bean for Becker’s Hospital Review

Kentucky has the highest cancer mortality rate of all U.S. states, according to a ranking from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The ranking is based on 1999-2018 data on underlying and multiple causes of death from the CDC’s Wonder Online Database.

In 2018, the nation’s age-adjusted cancer death rate was 149.1 deaths per 100,000 population.

Here’s how each state and the District of Columbia stack up:

Note: The list includes a tie and results in a numerical listing of 50.

1. Kentucky — 181.6 cancer deaths per 100,000 population
2. Mississippi — 179.7
3. West Virginia — 179.5
4. Oklahoma — 178.1
5. Alabama — 170.4
6. Louisiana — 169
7. Arkansas — 168.8
8. Tennessee — 168
9. Indiana — 165.7
10. Missouri — 165.3
11. Ohio — 165.2
12. Maine — 162.1
13. Michigan — 161.1
14. Delaware — 159.4
15. South Carolina — 157.3
16. Pennsylvania — 156.6
17. Kansas — 156.4
18. Vermont — 156
19. District of Columbia — 155.6
20. Iowa — 155.3
21. North Carolina — 154.2
22. Illinois — 153.5
23. Georgia — 152.4
24. Rhode Island — 151.6
25. Wisconsin — 151.5
26. Oregon — 150.6
27. Nebraska — 150.5
28. Maryland — 149.9
29. Idaho — 149.5
30. Virginia — 149.3
31. Nevada — 146.5
32. Washington — 145.3
33. North Dakota — 145.2
South Dakota — 145.2
34. New Hampshire — 143.7
35. Minnesota — 143.1
36. Texas — 142.9
37. Massachusetts — 142.8
38. Florida — 141.7
39. Alaska — 141.5
40. New Jersey — 141.3
41. Montana — 140.7
42. Wyoming — 140.6
43. New York — 138.2
44. New Mexico — 136.4
45. California — 135
46. Connecticut — 134.1
47. Arizona — 131.9
48. Colorado — 127.6
49. Hawaii — 123.5
50. Utah — 120