KY / county disease rankings

Counties with the highest cancer death rates in Kentucky

Among 120 Kentucky counties with published values, the counties with the highest cancer death rates are Cumberland County, KY (271.2, 1.89 times the U.S. rate of 143.2), Owsley County, KY (263.2, 1.84 times the U.S. rate of 143.2) and Clinton County, KY (254.4, 1.78 times the U.S. rate of 143.2). Values are per 100,000, age-adjusted. 110 of the 120 are significantly above the U.S. rate.

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. These are county-level figures, age-adjusted as published by the source, compared with the U.S. rate. A high rate does not prove an environmental cause: age, smoking, income, access to care, screening and chance all move county rates, and small counties swing widely. Significant means the lower bound of the county’s 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate.