NC / county disease rankings
Counties with the highest cancer death rates in North Carolina
Among 100 North Carolina counties with published values, the counties with the highest cancer death rates are Swain County, NC (220.3, 1.54 times the U.S. rate of 143.2), Richmond County, NC (208.2, 1.45 times the U.S. rate of 143.2) and Anson County, NC (203.2, 1.42 times the U.S. rate of 143.2). Values are per 100,000, age-adjusted. 59 of the 100 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.
All North Carolina counties, highest first
All cancer cancer deaths, per 100,000, age-adjusted.
| Rank | County | State | Value | U.S. rate | Times reference | Significant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swain County | NC | 220.3 | 143.2 | 1.54x | Significant |
| 2 | Richmond County | NC | 208.2 | 143.2 | 1.45x | Significant |
| 3 | Anson County | NC | 203.2 | 143.2 | 1.42x | Significant |
| 4 | Robeson County | NC | 199 | 143.2 | 1.39x | Significant |
| 5 | Jones County | NC | 194.8 | 143.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 6 | Washington County | NC | 194.4 | 143.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 7 | Scotland County | NC | 194.3 | 143.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 8 | Martin County | NC | 193.3 | 143.2 | 1.35x | Significant |
| 9 | Edgecombe County | NC | 191.6 | 143.2 | 1.34x | Significant |
| 10 | Halifax County | NC | 191.3 | 143.2 | 1.34x | Significant |
| 11 | Vance County | NC | 189.8 | 143.2 | 1.33x | Significant |
| 12 | Onslow County | NC | 189.3 | 143.2 | 1.32x | Significant |
| 13 | Tyrrell County | NC | 189 | 143.2 | 1.32x | No |
| 14 | Columbus County | NC | 188.4 | 143.2 | 1.32x | Significant |
| 15 | Caldwell County | NC | 186.4 | 143.2 | 1.3x | Significant |
| 16 | Wayne County | NC | 185.1 | 143.2 | 1.29x | Significant |
| 17 | Harnett County | NC | 182.1 | 143.2 | 1.27x | Significant |
| 18 | Sampson County | NC | 181.8 | 143.2 | 1.27x | Significant |
| 19 | Northampton County | NC | 180.1 | 143.2 | 1.26x | Significant |
| 20 | Cleveland County | NC | 179.8 | 143.2 | 1.26x | Significant |
| 21 | Surry County | NC | 179.3 | 143.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 22 | Pender County | NC | 178.9 | 143.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 23 | McDowell County | NC | 178.7 | 143.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 24 | Hoke County | NC | 178.5 | 143.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 25 | Person County | NC | 178.5 | 143.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 26 | Bertie County | NC | 178.2 | 143.2 | 1.24x | Significant |
| 27 | Camden County | NC | 175.6 | 143.2 | 1.23x | Significant |
| 28 | Cumberland County | NC | 174.6 | 143.2 | 1.22x | Significant |
| 29 | Mitchell County | NC | 174.3 | 143.2 | 1.22x | Significant |
| 30 | Stanly County | NC | 174.1 | 143.2 | 1.22x | Significant |
| 31 | Rutherford County | NC | 173.8 | 143.2 | 1.21x | Significant |
| 32 | Bladen County | NC | 173.6 | 143.2 | 1.21x | Significant |
| 33 | Duplin County | NC | 172.2 | 143.2 | 1.2x | Significant |
| 34 | Wilson County | NC | 171.5 | 143.2 | 1.2x | Significant |
| 35 | Granville County | NC | 171.3 | 143.2 | 1.2x | Significant |
| 36 | Alexander County | NC | 169.8 | 143.2 | 1.19x | Significant |
| 37 | Randolph County | NC | 169.8 | 143.2 | 1.19x | Significant |
| 38 | Stokes County | NC | 169.7 | 143.2 | 1.19x | Significant |
| 39 | Hertford County | NC | 168.9 | 143.2 | 1.18x | Significant |
| 40 | Lenoir County | NC | 168.1 | 143.2 | 1.17x | Significant |
| 41 | Davidson County | NC | 167.8 | 143.2 | 1.17x | Significant |
| 42 | Yadkin County | NC | 167.8 | 143.2 | 1.17x | Significant |
| 43 | Graham County | NC | 166.4 | 143.2 | 1.16x | No |
| 44 | Rockingham County | NC | 165.8 | 143.2 | 1.16x | Significant |
| 45 | Burke County | NC | 165.7 | 143.2 | 1.16x | Significant |
| 46 | Johnston County | NC | 164.8 | 143.2 | 1.15x | Significant |
| 47 | Craven County | NC | 164.7 | 143.2 | 1.15x | Significant |
| 48 | Alamance County | NC | 162.9 | 143.2 | 1.14x | Significant |
| 49 | Gaston County | NC | 161.7 | 143.2 | 1.13x | Significant |
| 50 | Caswell County | NC | 161.1 | 143.2 | 1.13x | No |
| 51 | Pitt County | NC | 160.8 | 143.2 | 1.12x | Significant |
| 52 | Chowan County | NC | 160.5 | 143.2 | 1.12x | No |
| 53 | Wilkes County | NC | 159.8 | 143.2 | 1.12x | Significant |
| 54 | Dare County | NC | 158.8 | 143.2 | 1.11x | Significant |
| 55 | Forsyth County | NC | 158.7 | 143.2 | 1.11x | Significant |
| 56 | Rowan County | NC | 158.2 | 143.2 | 1.1x | Significant |
| 57 | Haywood County | NC | 157.9 | 143.2 | 1.1x | Significant |
| 58 | Nash County | NC | 157 | 143.2 | 1.1x | Significant |
| 59 | Carteret County | NC | 156.6 | 143.2 | 1.09x | Significant |
| 60 | Beaufort County | NC | 156.5 | 143.2 | 1.09x | Significant |
| 61 | Currituck County | NC | 156.3 | 143.2 | 1.09x | No |
| 62 | Perquimans County | NC | 156 | 143.2 | 1.09x | No |
| 63 | Catawba County | NC | 155.3 | 143.2 | 1.08x | Significant |
| 64 | Warren County | NC | 155.2 | 143.2 | 1.08x | No |
| 65 | Alleghany County | NC | 154.8 | 143.2 | 1.08x | No |
| 66 | Pasquotank County | NC | 154.3 | 143.2 | 1.08x | No |
| 67 | Montgomery County | NC | 154.1 | 143.2 | 1.08x | No |
| 68 | Madison County | NC | 153.7 | 143.2 | 1.07x | No |
| 69 | Lee County | NC | 153.6 | 143.2 | 1.07x | No |
| 70 | Ashe County | NC | 153.5 | 143.2 | 1.07x | No |
| 71 | Macon County | NC | 153.4 | 143.2 | 1.07x | No |
| 72 | Pamlico County | NC | 152.5 | 143.2 | 1.06x | No |
| 73 | Brunswick County | NC | 152.1 | 143.2 | 1.06x | Significant |
| 74 | Franklin County | NC | 151.5 | 143.2 | 1.06x | No |
| 75 | Moore County | NC | 150.2 | 143.2 | 1.05x | No |
| 76 | New Hanover County | NC | 150 | 143.2 | 1.05x | Significant |
| 77 | Cherokee County | NC | 148.3 | 143.2 | 1.04x | No |
| 78 | Davie County | NC | 148.3 | 143.2 | 1.04x | No |
| 79 | Henderson County | NC | 148.3 | 143.2 | 1.04x | No |
| 80 | Greene County | NC | 146.8 | 143.2 | 1.03x | No |
| 81 | Guilford County | NC | 146.8 | 143.2 | 1.03x | No |
| 82 | Lincoln County | NC | 145.2 | 143.2 | 1.01x | No |
| 83 | Iredell County | NC | 145.1 | 143.2 | 1.01x | No |
| 84 | Gates County | NC | 144.8 | 143.2 | 1.01x | No |
| 85 | Yancey County | NC | 144 | 143.2 | 1.01x | No |
| 86 | Cabarrus County | NC | 140.3 | 143.2 | 0.98x | No |
| 87 | Polk County | NC | 137.5 | 143.2 | 0.96x | No |
| 88 | Buncombe County | NC | 135.3 | 143.2 | 0.94x | No |
| 89 | Union County | NC | 133 | 143.2 | 0.93x | No |
| 90 | Durham County | NC | 132.6 | 143.2 | 0.93x | No |
| 91 | Watauga County | NC | 129.3 | 143.2 | 0.9x | No |
| 92 | Mecklenburg County | NC | 128.4 | 143.2 | 0.9x | No |
| 93 | Hyde County | NC | 128.2 | 143.2 | 0.9x | No |
| 94 | Avery County | NC | 128 | 143.2 | 0.89x | No |
| 95 | Transylvania County | NC | 127.6 | 143.2 | 0.89x | No |
| 96 | Clay County | NC | 125.5 | 143.2 | 0.88x | No |
| 97 | Jackson County | NC | 124.9 | 143.2 | 0.87x | No |
| 98 | Chatham County | NC | 124.3 | 143.2 | 0.87x | No |
| 99 | Orange County | NC | 120 | 143.2 | 0.84x | No |
| 100 | Wake County | NC | 119.8 | 143.2 | 0.84x | No |