2018 to 2020 data provides age-standardized, spatially smoothed stroke mortality rates for US adults aged 35 and older. Rates can be analyzed by sex and race/ethnicity, sourced from the National Vital Statistics System. The dataset includes state and county-level estimates for a three-year average period.
Use Cases
- Analyze geographic disparities in stroke mortality by mapping `Data_Value` against `LocationDesc` and `GeographicLevel`.
- Model mortality rate (`Data_Value`) as a function of demographic strata (`Stratification1`, `Stratification2`) and location (`LocationAbbr`).
- Investigate spatial patterns by joining county-level `Data_Value` with geographic coordinates (`X_lon`, `Y_lat`).
- Compare mortality trends across years (`Year`) and data value types (`Data_Value_Type`).
- Assess data completeness and reporting issues using `Data_Value_Footnote` and `Data_Value_Footnote_Symbol`.
Strengths
- Age-standardized rates enable comparison across populations with different age structures.
- County-level rates are spatially smoothed to improve reliability for small areas.
- Data covers a 3-year average (2018-2020) to stabilize annual rate estimates.
Limitations
- Sample size (row count) is unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
- Underlying raw counts for calculating rates are not provided, preventing uncertainty quantification.
- Data is a 3-year aggregate; annual trends within 2018-2020 cannot be analyzed.
Provenance
- Source
- National Vital Statistics System via data.cdc.gov.
- Collection Method
- Calculated from vital statistics records, age-standardized and spatially smoothed.
- Time Range
- 2018 to 2020 (3-year average).
- Freshness
- Data reflects 2018-2020 period; metadata was last updated on 2025-02-11.
- Geography
- United States, including states, territories, and counties.