Mortality Rate
Mortality Rate measures the rate at which St. Louis area residents die of all causes in a given year. Death records are assembled from death certificates, which are recorded by the Missouri and Illinois state health departments. In 2016, there were 18,190 deaths, which translates to a rate of 899 deaths per 100,000 residents for the region.
Mortality Rate Indicator Scores
City of
St. Louis
St. Louis
County
St. Charles
County
St. Clair
County
Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, MOPHIMS – Death MICA, 2016; Illinois Department of Public Health, IQuery, 2015
Data Note: Rates are per year per 100,000 population and are age-adjusted to the U.S. 2000 standard population. The age-adjusted rates are rates that would have existed if the population under study had the same age distribution as the “standard” population. Age-adjusting rates is a way to make fairer comparisons between groups with different age distributions.
What does this score mean?
A score of 100 represents racial equity, meaning there are no racial disparities in the outcomes between black and white populations. The lower the Equity Score, the greater the disparity.
For Mortality Rate, a score of 100 – a score reflecting racial equity – would mean black and white residents are equally likely to die of various causes in a given year. It is important to note that for this indicator, equity is not our only goal; we also want to improve outcomes for all.
WHAT DOES THIS ANALYSIS MEAN?
As a region, black residents are not more likely to die than white residents. In the City of St. Louis, black residents die at a rate of 1,077 per 100,000 people per year, while white residents die at a rate of 846 per 100,000 people. According to the used data, white residents have a slightly higher mortality rate than black residents in St. Louis, St. Charles, and St. Clair Counties.
If mortality rates were equitable, there would be 349 fewer annual deaths among black residents in the City of St. Louis.
Why Does Mortality Rate Matter?
Higher mortality rates ultimately represent poorer health and quality of life among the black community as a whole. Preventable and premature deaths come at a social and economic cost to our community. The Ferguson Commission highlighted a finding from the National Urban League Policy Institute that nationally, “economic loss due to premature deaths was valued at $250 billion in 2009.”
The leading causes of death for both black and white residents are heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries. However, black residents are significantly more likely to die than white residents of homicide, injury by firearm, kidney disease, and diabetes. White residents are significantly more likely to die than black residents of suicide, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.
Which Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission’s report are linked with this indicator?
The Ferguson Commission calls for a broad application of a racial equity framework in part to reduce the racial disparities in premature death. The specific calls to action related to health are:
Questions for Further Investigation:
- Why is there a racial disparity in Mortality Rate?
- What can St. Louis do to reduce racial disparities in Mortality Rate?
- What initiatives are currently underway to reduce racial disparities in Mortality Rate?
How can I learn more about this issue?
Mortality Rate Data
Crude rate of death per 100,000 people
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deaths | 3,016 | 1,684 | 1,299 | ||
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People | 957.4 | 1,124.0 | 837.9 | 1.341 to 1 | 68 |
Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, MOPHIMS – Death MICA, 2016
Crude rate of death per 100,000 people
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deaths | 9,864 | 2,193 | 7,671 | ||
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People | 975.76 | 675.65 | 1.444 to 1 | 63 |
Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, MOPHIMS – Death MICA, 2016
Crude rate of death per 100,000 people
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deaths | 2,839 | 88 | 2,721 | ||
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People | 668.37 | 659.66 | 671.62 | 0.982 to 1 | 100 |
Data Source: Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, MOPHIMS – Death MICA, 2016
Crude rate of death per 100,000 people
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deaths | 2,509 | 671 | 1,802 | ||
Mortality Rate per 100,000 People | 950.19 | 815.53 | 1,026.04 | 0.795 | 100 |
Data Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, 2015