CDC: Infant Mortality Rate Varies Greatly Among States

Low of 3.47 in Vermont to a high of 9.03 in Alabama in infant deaths per 1,000 live births

THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Infant mortality rates in the United States vary substantially by state, according to a QuickStats report published in the Aug. 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Danielle M. Ely, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used 2016 data from the National Vital Statistics System to assess the U.S. infant mortality rate.

The researchers found that the infant mortality rate in the United States was 5.87 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016. The infant mortality rate ranged from a low of 3.47 in Vermont to a high of 9.03 in Alabama. Two other states had rates below 4: New Hampshire, at 3.67, and Massachusetts, at 3.94. Southern states generally had higher rates of infant mortality. Two states besides Alabama had infant mortality rates above 8: Arkansas, at 8.2, and Mississippi, at 8.67.

More Information

Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Powered by