Published Oct 23, 2019

Do You Live in a Cancer “Hot Zone”? These Are The 20 States With the Highest Cancer Rates

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky is the U.S. state with the highest cancer rates -- both in incidence and death.

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New statistics from the government show the U.S. states in which cancer rates are highest, and it turns out that people are getting sick the most in states where income is lower, there’s less screening, and smoking is more prevalent. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kentucky is the state with the highest cancer rates, and New Mexico is the state with the lowest cancer rates.

Each year in the U.S. there are roughly 448 new cases of cancer diagnosed per every 100,000 people, and roughly 161 cancer deaths per every 100,000 people. These rates vary a lot depending on what state you live in, and the reasons include:

Screening. When incidence rates are high and death rates are low, that means that more people are getting screened, diagnosed, and treated. But when cancer death rates are also high, that can be a sign that fewer people are being diagnosed early enough to receive lifesaving treatment.
Resources. Wealthier states are generally associated with lower cancer death rates, and this could be due in part to cancer prevention and detection programs.
Smoking. People smoke more cigarettes in some states than others. It goes without saying that smoking causes lung cancer, but there’s a long list of other cancers associated with smoking, too.

Kentucky, with 510 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 194 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Delaware, with 487 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 171 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Pennsylvania, with 483 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 164 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
New Hampshire, with 481 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 164 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
New York, with 475 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 145 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
New Jersey, with 475 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 149 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Iowa, with 474 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 160 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Maine, with 473 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 169 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Louisiana, with 473 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 172 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
West Virginia, with 472 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 182 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people

The five states with the lowest cancer rates, on the other hand, are:

New Mexico, with 359 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 140 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Arizona, with 376 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 139 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
The District of Columbia, with 378 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 156 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
Nevada, with 385 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 159 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people
California, with 386 cancer cases for every 100,000 people and 140 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people

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Why are Cancer Rates so High in Kentucky?

There are many reasons for the discrepancies in cancer rates across the U.S., and one of them is money. Kentucky is among the top-five poorest states in the U.S., with 20 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Unfortunately, when it comes to cancer, money can make a life or death difference.

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In addition to the resources, demographic data also show that people in Kentucky are more likely to smoke cigarettes than the country at large. According to the CDC, 24.6 percent of adults in Kentucky smoke cigarettes, which is the highest rate in the country. Kentucky, historically, has been a big tobacco farming state, which could explain why the rates of lung cancer deaths in Kentucky (66 deaths per 100,000 people) is so much higher than the nationwide rate of lung cancer deaths (42 deaths per 100,000 people).

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