Provisional U.S. Deaths by Sex, Age, and Cause

2020-2023 data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) details deaths involving COVID-19, pneumonia, and influenza across U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The dataset contains provisional mortality counts broken down by sex, age group, and jurisdiction. Updates ceased in September 2023, with current data available via CDC WONDER.

Use Cases

• Analyzing mortality trends by cause (COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia) using the 'Pneumonia and COVID-19 Deaths' and 'Influenza Deaths' columns.
• Comparing demographic impacts by examining death counts across 'Sex' and 'Age Group' categories.
• Studying geographic variation in mortality by filtering and aggregating data by the 'State' column.
• Tracking provisional death reporting timelines using the 'Data As Of', 'Start Date', and 'End Date' fields.

Strengths

• Provides demographic stratification with specific 'Sex' and 'Age Group' categories.
• Includes multiple cause-of-death metrics, allowing for analysis of co-morbidities (e.g., 'Pneumonia and COVID-19 Deaths').
• Covers a national scope, including all U.S. states and Puerto Rico.

Limitations

• Data is provisional and was last updated in September 2023, making it stale for current analysis.
• Potential for reporting lags and inconsistencies common in provisional mortality data.
• One platform lists an 'other-license-specified' license, while another shows 'None', creating a conflict in licensing clarity.

Provenance

Source

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).

Collection Method

Provisional death certificates reported to NCHS.

Time Range

2020 through 2023 (implied by cessation of updates and provisional COVID-19 focus).

Freshness

Last updated on 2025-04-23, but data collection ceased on 2023-09-27.

Geography

United States, including 50 states and Puerto Rico.