WV / county disease rankings

Counties with the highest cancer death rates in West Virginia

Among 55 West Virginia counties with published values, the counties with the highest cancer death rates are Lincoln County, WV (254.2, 1.78 times the U.S. rate of 143.2), Pleasants County, WV (224.7, 1.57 times the U.S. rate of 143.2) and Wetzel County, WV (219.6, 1.53 times the U.S. rate of 143.2). Values are per 100,000, age-adjusted. 42 of the 55 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.