Heart Disease Mortality Rates by US County and Demographic Group (2021-2023)

US county-level data provides spatially smoothed, age-standardized mortality rates for heart disease among adults 35+ from 2021 to 2023. The dataset, produced by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, can be stratified by sex and racial/ethnic group for detailed analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyze age-standardized mortality rate disparities across racial/ethnic groups and sex categories.
• Map spatially smoothed county-level rates to identify geographic clusters of cardiovascular mortality.
• Investigate temporal trends in heart disease mortality using the 2021-2023 three-year average data.

Strengths

• Data is age-standardized and county rates are spatially smoothed, enhancing comparability.
• Covers a three-year period (2021-2023), providing a stable average for analysis.
• Sourced from the authoritative National Vital Statistics System.

Limitations

• The underlying raw case counts and sample sizes are not provided, limiting statistical depth.
• Data is aggregated to a three-year average, preventing analysis of year-over-year changes within the period.
• Geographic coverage may be incomplete for counties with suppressed data due to small numbers.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Vital statistics mortality records, processed with age-standardization and spatial smoothing.

Time Range

2021-2023 (3-year average)

Freshness

Data is current through 2023, with metadata last updated in August 2025.

Geography

United States, by state/territory and county