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Massachusetts Value:
Deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 population (age-adjusted)
Explore Population Data:
Deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 population (age-adjusted)
US Value: 11.9
Top State(s): Hawaii: 7.1
Bottom State(s): Kentucky: 19.1
Definition: Deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 population (age-adjusted)
Data Source and Years(s): CDC WONDER, Provisional Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC WONDER, Provisional Multiple Cause of Death Files, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
COVID-19 is a relatively mild illness for most people. However, certain populations are more likely to get very sick from the virus, including older adults, people with certain disabilities, people who are immunocompromised and people with underlying health conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed an estimated 1,158,185 lives across the United States as of December 2nd, 2023.
Provisional data identified COVID-19 as the fourth-leading cause of death in 2022, down from the third-leading cause of death in both 2020 and 2021.
Deaths from COVID-19 are highest among older adults — especially adults age 80 and older, who accounted for 40.7% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. as of November 2023 despite representing only 3.8% of the population.
Despite fluctuations in racial/ethnic differences and disparities between 2020 and 2022, overall, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic and Black people have continued to experience higher death rates from COVID-19 than white and Asian people.
Vaccination is a critical component in reducing deaths from COVID-19. All COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. help prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19 infections. A 2022 study estimated that the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program prevented 3.2 million additional deaths.
In addition to basic hygiene (e.g., handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes), the CDC recommends the following actions to protect individuals and communities from COVID-19:
Ahmad, Farida B., Jodi A. Cisewski, Jiaquan Xu, and Robert N. Anderson. “Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2022.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 18 (May 5, 2023): 488–92. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7218a3.
Xu, Jiaquan, Sherry L. Murphy, Kenneth D. Kochanek, and Elizabeth Arias. “Mortality in the United States, 2021.” NCHS Data Brief No. 456. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, December 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db456.htm.
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.