Sadly, preventable and premature deaths happen all around the country. From motor vehicle accidents to heart disease and homicide, there are many factors that can reduce the years of an individual’s life. There are some states, however, where people are more likely to die prematurely than others. NYRequirements.com created a visualization to show the U.S. states where residents are most likely to die prematurely. This is based on the life years lost before age 75 per 100,000 people in 2020.
Mississippi is at the top of the list of U.S. states where residents are most likely to die prematurely. Overall, there were 13,781 life years lost before the age of 75 per 100,000 people in 2020. The most common causes of premature death in Mississippi are heart disease, unintentional injury, and malignant neoplasms.
The second state on the list is West Virginia, with 13,072 life years lost before age 75 per 100,000 people. The most common ways West Virginians die prematurely are due to unintentional injury, malignant neoplasms, and heart disease.
The state where residents are least likely to die prematurely is Hawaii. Only 6,413 life years over age 75 per 100,000 people were lost in 2020. That is half that of Mississippi, the top state on the list.
Unintentional injury is the leading cause of premature deaths in a majority of U.S. states. Of all premature deaths, the states with the highest percentage of premature deaths due to unintentional injury are West Virginia (26.1%), Connecticut (24.3%), Maine (23.8%), Delaware (23.0%), and Rhode Island (22.9%). The states with the highest percentages of homicide premature deaths are Louisiana (7.1%), Mississippi (6.3%), Illinois (6.0%), Missouri (5.9%), and Maryland (5.6%).
While premature deaths can happen anywhere, some states are more likely to have residents die early. Which state on the list is most surprising to you?
