Leading Causes of Death

Background

The leading causes of death are important indicators to use as benchmarks when comparing to national rates and rates of other jurisdictions. Along with preventable causes of death, it is important to understand the most prevalent overall causes of death in order to prioritize interventions and understand how they affect the reasons people die over time. The most recent DC Mortality Report goes in to great detail about trends and differences by group related to causes of death that affect DC residents.

Over time, the two top leading causes of death in the District have remained the same. The rate of deaths related to accidents, which includes accidental drug overdoses, has increased over the past two years.

Data Sources & Citations

1. DC Health, Center for Policy, Planning and Evaluation. Data Management and Analysis Division and Vital Records Division. 2013-2017 District of Columbia Mortality Report