Stroke Mortality Rates by US County and Demographics 2019-2021

2019-2021 data provides age-standardized, spatially smoothed stroke mortality rates for US adults aged 35 and older. The dataset, produced by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, can be viewed by sex and race/ethnicity categories.

Use Cases

• Analyze stroke mortality rate disparities across sex and race/ethnicity categories.
• Map spatially smoothed county-level mortality rates to identify geographic clusters.
• Study trends in age-standardized mortality rates over the 2019-2021 period.

Strengths

• Data covers a 3-year period (2019-2021) for temporal stability.
• Rates are age-standardized and county-level data is spatially smoothed to improve reliability.
• Produced by the authoritative U.S. Department of Health & Human Services using the National Vital Statistics System.

Limitations

• The dataset lacks raw case counts or population denominators, limiting certain statistical analyses.
• County-level rates are estimates derived from spatial smoothing, not direct observations.
• Data is limited to adults aged 35 and older, excluding younger populations.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Official vital statistics records, processed with age-standardization and spatial smoothing.

Time Range

2019-2021 (3-year average).

Freshness

Data updated as of February 2025, covering the most recent complete multi-year period available.

Geography

United States, by state/territory and county.