Cardiovascular Disease Death Rates by US County and Age Group 2010-2020

County-level estimates of cardiovascular disease death rates, trends, and excess death rates for US adults aged 35 and older. The data covers the period from 2010 to 2020 and is disaggregated by age groups 35–64 years and 65 years and older. Estimates were generated using a Bayesian spatiotemporal model and are age-standardized.

Use Cases

• Analyze county-level CVD death rate trends from 2010-2019 to identify geographic disparities in health outcomes.
• Investigate relative and absolute excess death rates in 2020 by age group (35–64 and 65+) to assess pandemic impact.
• Model the spatiotemporal patterns of CVD mortality using Bayesian-smoothed estimates for public health planning.

Strengths

• Estimates are generated using a sophisticated Bayesian spatiotemporal model, smoothing data over space, time, and age groups.
• Provides a 10-year trend analysis (2010-2019) and specific 2020 excess death metrics for two distinct adult age groups.
• Data is age-standardized using the 2010 US population, enabling more accurate comparisons across counties with different age structures.

Limitations

• The dataset does not provide raw case counts or individual-level data, only modeled estimates.
• Estimates for smaller counties may have higher uncertainty due to the modeling and smoothing process.
• The temporal coverage for trend analysis ends in 2019, with 2020 data focused on excess deaths rather than a full trend.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Vital Statistics System.

Collection Method

Estimates generated using a Bayesian spatiotemporal model applied to vital statistics data.

Time Range

2000-2020 for death rates, with trends for 2010-2019 and excess deaths for 2020.

Freshness

Last updated in February 2025.

Geography

United States, at the county or county-equivalent level.