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United States Value:
Number of deaths per 100,000 children ages 1-19
Explore Population Data:
Appears In:
Number of deaths per 100,000 children ages 1-19
US Value: 27.4
Top State(s): Massachusetts: 14.7
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 48.0
Definition: Number of deaths per 100,000 children ages 1-19
Data Source and Years(s): CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2019-2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Most childhood deaths are preventable. The leading causes of death among U.S. children ages 1-19 in 2019-2021 were accidents (unintentional injuries), homicide, suicide, cancer and congenital abnormalities. Of the injury deaths, the leading mechanisms of injury were firearms, followed by motor vehicle traffic and poisoning. The U.S. is the only nation among its peers where firearms are the leading cause of child mortality.
According to America’s Health Rankings data, the rate of child mortality is higher among:
To combat accidents as the leading cause of child mortality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published strategies that include proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts to reduce car crash injuries, drowning prevention tips; and familial and school support to reduce substance use and related injury. The CDC also provides a listing of effective and promising youth violence-prevention strategies including universal school-based programs — also recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force — to reduce violence. Family members commit most homicides of young children, while acquaintances are more likely to kill older children.
Youth suicide is preventable. Suicide rates for at-risk youth can be substantially reduced by:
Further, Youth.gov provides several resources on preventing youth suicide.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to decrease child mortality.
Curtin, Sally C., and Melonie Heron. “Death Rates Due to Suicide and Homicide Among Persons Aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2017.” NCHS Data Brief No. 352. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, October 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db352.htm.
Goldstick, Jason E., Rebecca M. Cunningham, and Patrick M. Carter. “Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 386, no. 20 (May 19, 2022): 1955–56. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2201761.
“National Action Plan for Child Injury Prevention: An Agenda to Prevent Injuries and Promote the Safety of Children and Adolescents in the United States.” Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2012. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/12060.
Task Force on Community Preventive Services. “A Recommendation to Reduce Rates of Violence Among School-Aged Children and Youth by Means of Universal School-Based Violence Prevention Programs.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 33, no. 2, Supplement (August 1, 2007): S112–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.014.
Woolf, Steven H., Elizabeth R. Wolf, and Frederick P. Rivara. “The New Crisis of Increasing All-Cause Mortality in US Children and Adolescents.” JAMA 329, no. 12 (March 28, 2023): 975. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.3517.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.