Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 U.S. standard population. Since death rates are affected by the population composition of a given area, age-adjusted death rates should be used for comparisons between areas because they control for differences in population composition.

Data for 2007 are preliminary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report Volume 58, Number 1, August 2009, Table 3. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/data/NVSR_58_1.pdf

1. The death rate for the U.S. does not include data from Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam.
2. California, Georgia, and Texas data are not shown separately but are included in U.S. total because the percent completeness for these three states did not meet the criterion of at least 75 percent.
3. Age-adjusted death rates for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam are calculated using different age groups in the weighting procedure.