Mortality Rate - Women in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Women in the United States have a higher rate of preventable deaths than women living in other high-income countries. Unemployment, poverty, food insecurity, lack of private health insurance, having less than a high school education and living alone are all risk factors for premature death. In 2024, the leading causes of death for women ages 20-44 in the U.S. were unintentional injuries (led by poisoning and motor vehicle accidents), cancer, heart disease, suicide and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis. 

Pregnancy-related death, or maternal mortality, is another contributor to premature mortality rates among women of reproductive age. When compared to other high-income countries, the U.S. consistently has the highest maternal mortality rate. Deaths from mental health conditions, cardiovascular conditions and infections are the greatest underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths. 

The death of a woman adversely impacts her family and community. The early death of a mother or parent can lead to depression, anxiety and other long-term emotional problems in children, and is associated with decreased academic performance.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the mortality rate is higher among:

• American Indian/Alaska Native women compared with all other racial/ethnic groups. Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Black women also have an elevated mortality rate. The lowest mortality rates are observed among Asian, multiracial, Hispanic and white women.

Studies have also found that the mortality rate is higher among women living in rural areas compared with women in urban areas.

Many deaths among women of reproductive age are preventable. Strategies to reduce premature death within this population can target the leading causes of death, including:

• Promoting seat belt use can reduce motor vehicle fatalities.
• Funding projects to prevent opioid misuse in women and girls may help decrease overdose deaths in the long run.
• Encouraging healthy lifestyle changes — such as eating healthily, getting regular physical activity, limiting alcohol and quitting smoking — may reduce the risk of heart disease, liver diseases and certain cancers.
• Ensuring patients get the recommended routine cancer screenings for their age and risk profile — cancer screening can lead to earlier detection when cancers are easier to treat. 

Intimate partner violence (IPV) lethality risk assessments may prevent violence by identifying at-risk women and connecting them with life-saving safety planning and services. Other IPV prevention measures include teaching safe and healthy relationship skills and recognizing risky situations and behaviors in young people.

The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health offers toolkits, patient safety bundles and other resources to support and guide quality improvement efforts in health care facilities to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently established the Hear Her campaign to increase awareness of urgent warning signs that may help prevent pregnancy-related deaths. Expanding safe access to maternal care and facilities during pregnancy could also reduce mortality.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published an opioid overdose prevention toolkit for providers, communities, local governments and the general public.

Healthy People 2030 has several goals related to reducing premature mortality among women, including:

• Reducing breast cancer deaths.
• Reducing maternal deaths.
• Reducing drug overdose deaths.

Bundy, Joshua D., Katherine T. Mills, Hua He, Thomas A. LaVeist, Keith C. Ferdinand, Jing Chen, and Jiang He. “Social Determinants of Health and Premature Death Among Adults in the USA From 1999 to 2018: A National Cohort Study.” Lancet Public Health 8, no. 6 (July 15, 2023): E422–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00081-6.

Curtin, Sally, and Merianne Rose Spencer. Trends in Death Rates in Urban and Rural Areas: United States, 1999–2019. NCHS Data Brief No. 417. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, September 21, 2021. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:109049.

Gunja, Munira Z., Evan D. Gumas, Relebohile Masitha, and Laurie C. Zephyrin. Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison. Issue Brief. Commonwealth Fund, June 4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.26099/cthn-st75.

Gunja, Munira Z., Relebohile Masitha, and Laurie C. Zephyrin. Health Care for Women: How the U.S. Compares Internationally. Advancing Health Equity. The Commonwealth Fund, August 15, 2024. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/aug/health-care-women-how-us-compares-internationally.

National Institute of Justice. “How Effective Are Lethality Assessment Programs for Addressing Intimate Partner Violence?,” June 11, 2018. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/how-effective-are-lethality-assessment-programs-addressing-intimate-partner.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, 2025. https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/overdose-prevention-response-kit-pep23-03-00-001.pdf.