December 14, 2016
A new study from researchers at the University of Washington shows the frequency of certain causes of death in every county in the United States from 1980-2014.
The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used federal data to break down how often 21 mutually exclusive causes of death occurred across the country during a 24-year period.
Using the study's interactive map, below are the leading causes of death in Philadelphia. This is a look at statistics for 2014, the most recent year from which data was used. Philadelphia's statistics are also compared side-by-side to the rest of Pennsylvania and the country as a whole. The numbers indicate deaths per 100,000 residents:
| Cause of death | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 320.62 | 266.37 | 252.7 |
| Cancer (neoplasms) | 239.71 | 202.51 | 192.04 |
| Neurological disorders | 79.21 | 94.43 | 95.36 |
| Diabetes, urogenital, blood and endocrine diseases |
68.36 | 57.57 | 55.89 |
| Chronic respiratory diseases | 50.06 | 49.98 | 52.92 |
| Diarrhea, lower respiratory and other common infectious diseases |
35.46 | 32.64 | 30.03 |
| Mental and substance use disorders |
31.34 | 16.56 | 13.39 |
| Self-harm and interpersonal violence |
28.37 | 19.52 | 19.6 |
| Unintentional injuries | 23.02 | 20.73 | 19.12 |
| Cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases |
20.92 | 15.63 | 16.79 |
| Digestive diseases | 16.38 | 14.46 | 14.17 |
| Transport injuries | 9.88 | 11.95 | 13.77 |
| Other noncommunicable diseases | 7.86 | 5.65 | 5.84 |
| HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis | 7.06 | 1.87 | 2.66 |
| Neonatal disorders | 6.4 | 3.83 | 3.32 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders | 3.06 | 2.69 | 2.86 |
| Other communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases |
2.25 | 1.19 | 1.36 |
| Nutritional deficiencies | 0.87 | 0.97 | 1.21 |
| Maternal disorders | 0.72 | 0.33 | 0.35 |
| Neglected tropical diseases and malaria |
0.04 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Forces of nature, war and legal intervention |
0.04 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
To see how specific causes of death varied from year-to-year and in different counties, you can access the interactive map here.
