States with highest cancer mortality, by type

Mississippi had the highest mortality rate across all cancer types between 2018 and 2022, according to data published by the American Cancer Society. 

The American Cancer Society used data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries to calculate mortality rates per 100,000 people for each state and each cancer type.

Read the states with the highest cancer incidence, by type, here. 

Here are the states with the highest cancer mortality rates across all cancers and by type:

All cancers:

1. Mississippi: 179.8
2. Kentucky: 178.9
3. West Virginia: 178.2

Brain and other nervous system:

1. (tie)Mississippi, Vermont: 5.3
2. (tie) Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire: 5.2
3. (tie) Nebraska, South Dakota: 5.2 

Breast:

1. District of Columbia: 24
2. Mississippi: 23.4
3. Oklahoma: 22.4

Cervix:

1. Mississippi: 3.6
2. Oklahoma: 3.5
3. (tie) Alabama, Arkansas: 3.2

Colorectum:

1. Mississippi: 17.6
2. West Virginia: 16.7
3. Oklahoma: 16.2

Esophagus:

1. Maine: 5.8
2. West Virginia: 5.4
3. Vermont: 5

Hodgkin lymphoma:

1. Montana: 0.4
2. (tie) 25 states had a rate of 0.3
3. (tie) 14 states had a rate of 0.2

Kidney and renal pelvis:

1. Oklahoma: 4.9
2. Louisiana: 4.6
3. (tie) Arkansas, South Dakota: 4.4

Larynx:

1. West Virginia 1.7
2. (tie) District of Columbia, Kentucky: 1.4
3. (tie) Louisiana, Tennessee: 1.3

Leukemia:

1. West Virginia: 7.1
2. Kentucky: 7
3. (tie) Kansas, South Dakota: 6.9

Liver and intrahepatic bile duct:

1. District of Columbia: 8.8
2. Louisiana: 8.6
3. Texas: 8.5

Lung and bronchus:

1. Kentucky: 50.9
2. West Virginia: 49.1
3. Mississippi: 47.5

Melanoma of the skin:

1. Idaho: 2.8
2. (tie) Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming: 2.7
3. (tie) Iowa, New Hampshire: 2.6

Myeloma:

1. District of Columbia: 4.5
2. Mississippi: 3.8
3. (tie) Delaware, Maryland, South Carolina: 3.6

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma:

1. (tie) Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma: 5.8
2. West Virginia: 5.7
3. (tie) Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon: 5.6

Oral cavity and pharynx:

1. (tie) Louisiana, Mississippi: 3.4
2. Maine: 3.3
3. (tie) Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia: 3.1

Ovary:

1. Oklahoma: 6.9
2. Washington: 6.8
3. (tie) Delaware, District of Columbia, Oregon: 6.6

Pancreas:

1. District of Columbia: 12.9
2. Delaware: 12.5
3. Michigan: 12.4

Prostate:

1. District of Columbia: 29.7
2. Mississippi: 24.5
3. Utah: 22.1

Stomach:

1. (tie) Alaska, California, District of Columbia: 3.7
2. Mississippi: 3.5
3. New Mexico: 3.3

Testis:

1. New Mexico: 0.5
2. (tie) Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon: 0.4
3. (tie) 14 states had a rate of 0.3

Thyroid:

1. (tie) New Mexico, North Dakota: 0.7
2. (tie) California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin: 0.6
3. (tie) 21 states had a rate of 0.5

Urinary bladder:

1. (tie) Delaware, Maine: 5.5
2. Kentucky: 5.1
3. Ohio : 4.9

Uterine corpus:

1. District of Columbia: 9.3
2. Maryland: 6.3
3. Vermont: 6.2