CDC map showing the leading cause of death per state above the national average (Photo : Francis P. Boscoe, New York State Cancer Registry/CDC)
A new map released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon lead the nation in the number of deaths caused by police that are higher than the national average.
It also revealed the leading cause of deaths in Arkansas and Arizona was the discharge of firearms while in Tennessee and Alabama the accidental discharge of firearms was the top cause of reported deaths above average.
The color-coded CDC map, the "Most Distinctive Causes of Death by State, 2001-2010", shows the most distinctive cause of death for each state and the District of Columbia.
More specifically, it shows the cause of death from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), List of 113 Selected Causes of Death with the highest age-adjusted mortality rate ratio in each state.
The map was put together by looking at the causes of death for each state, calculating the rate of death per capita and comparing them against national rates. The findings were published May 14 in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, Public Health Research, Practice and Policy.
The map shows the most distinctive of 113 causes of death published by the National Center for Health Statistics to present a deeper view of mortality variation within the U.S. than what can be seen by using only the 10 most common causes of death, said the CDC.
The map doesn't show the main cause of death by state. What it does show is the cause of death in each state that stands out most relative to its national average.
The cause of death found to be the highest in each state compared to the national average were disclosed as the most distinctive form of death in that state.
While diseases were the leading cause of death in many states, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon were notable exceptions. CDC said these three states reported having higher death rates related to "legal intervention" than the national average.
This means the leading cause of death was caused by police and other persons with legal authority to use deadly force.
There were 110 deaths due to legal intervention in Oregon; 82 deaths in Nevada and 77 deaths New Mexico.
There were 147 deaths due to "Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent" in Arizona and 73 deaths from this cause in Arizona.
The largest number of deaths was the 37,292 deaths in Michigan from "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described". The fewest were the 11 deaths in Montana from "acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome."
The CDC list is enumerated below:
Alabama: Accidental discharge of firearms. (348 deaths)
Alaska: Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae. (270 deaths)
Arizona: Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent. (147 deaths)
Arkansas: Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent. (73 deaths)
California: Hyperplasia of prostate. (937 deaths)
Colorado: Atherosclerosis. (3457 deaths)
Connecticut: Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs. (19 deaths)
Delaware: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described. (3299 deaths)
District of Columbia: Human immunodeficiency virus. (1977 deaths)
Florida: Human immunodeficiency virus. (15563 deaths)
Georgia: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified. (18434 deaths)
Hawaii: Other nutritional deficiencies. (26 deaths)
Idaho: Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae. (207 deaths)
Illinois: Other disorders of kidney. (12 deaths)
Indiana: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (1717 deaths)
Iowa: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (26 deaths)
Kansas: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (46 deaths)
Kentucky: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (449 deaths)
Louisiana: Syphilis. (22 deaths)
Maine: Influenza. (154 deaths)
Maryland: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (6588 deaths)
Massachusetts: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (3077 deaths)
Michigan: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described. (37292 deaths)
Minnesota: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (28 deaths)
Mississippi: Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue. (18 deaths)
Missouri: Meningococcal infection. (31 deaths)
Montana: Acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome. (11 deaths)
Nebraska: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (32 deaths)
Nevada: Legal intervention. (82 deaths)
New Hampshire: Other nutritional deficiencies. (14 deaths)
New Jersey: Septicemia. (18353 deaths)
New Mexico: Legal intervention. (77 deaths)
New York: Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs. (97 deaths)
North Carolina: Other nutritional deficiencies. (103 deaths)
North Dakota: Influenza. (83 deaths)
Ohio: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (73 deaths)
Oklahoma: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (8623 deaths)
Oregon: Legal intervention. (110 deaths)
Pennsylvania: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (1470 deaths)
Rhode Island: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (589 deaths)
South Carolina: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (2094 deaths)
South Dakota: Influenza. (141 deaths)
Tennessee: Accidental discharge of firearms. (336 deaths)
Texas: Tuberculosis. (679 deaths)
Utah: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae. (2380 deaths)
Vermont: Other nutritional deficiencies. (16 deaths)
Virginia: Other acute ischemic heart diseases. (5136 deaths)
Washington: Meningococcal infection. (47 deaths)
West Virginia: Pneumoconioses and chemical effects. (882 deaths)
Wisconsin: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections. (26 deaths)
Wyoming: Influenza. (49 deaths)
