NC / county disease rankings
Counties with the highest lung cancer death rates in North Carolina
Among 99 North Carolina counties with published values, the counties with the highest lung cancer death rates are Richmond County, NC (59.3, 1.96 times the U.S. rate of 30.2), Scotland County, NC (56.3, 1.86 times the U.S. rate of 30.2) and Tyrrell County, NC (56, 1.85 times the U.S. rate of 30.2). Values are per 100,000, age-adjusted. 70 of the 99 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
Lung & bronchus cancer deaths, per 100,000, age-adjusted.
| Rank | County | State | Value | U.S. rate | Times reference | Significant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond County | NC | 59.3 | 30.2 | 1.96x | Significant |
| 2 | Scotland County | NC | 56.3 | 30.2 | 1.86x | Significant |
| 3 | Tyrrell County | NC | 56 | 30.2 | 1.85x | Significant |
| 4 | Robeson County | NC | 54.4 | 30.2 | 1.8x | Significant |
| 5 | Caswell County | NC | 51.6 | 30.2 | 1.71x | Significant |
| 6 | Onslow County | NC | 51.2 | 30.2 | 1.7x | Significant |
| 7 | Yadkin County | NC | 50.7 | 30.2 | 1.68x | Significant |
| 8 | Graham County | NC | 50.4 | 30.2 | 1.67x | Significant |
| 9 | Caldwell County | NC | 49.6 | 30.2 | 1.64x | Significant |
| 10 | Sampson County | NC | 49 | 30.2 | 1.62x | Significant |
| 11 | Hertford County | NC | 48.8 | 30.2 | 1.62x | Significant |
| 12 | Rockingham County | NC | 48.8 | 30.2 | 1.62x | Significant |
| 13 | Jones County | NC | 48.4 | 30.2 | 1.6x | Significant |
| 14 | Washington County | NC | 48.4 | 30.2 | 1.6x | Significant |
| 15 | Bladen County | NC | 48.1 | 30.2 | 1.59x | Significant |
| 16 | Columbus County | NC | 48.1 | 30.2 | 1.59x | Significant |
| 17 | Martin County | NC | 47.9 | 30.2 | 1.59x | Significant |
| 18 | Anson County | NC | 47.5 | 30.2 | 1.57x | Significant |
| 19 | Harnett County | NC | 47.2 | 30.2 | 1.56x | Significant |
| 20 | Randolph County | NC | 47.1 | 30.2 | 1.56x | Significant |
| 21 | Stanly County | NC | 47.1 | 30.2 | 1.56x | Significant |
| 22 | Wayne County | NC | 46.9 | 30.2 | 1.55x | Significant |
| 23 | Edgecombe County | NC | 46.2 | 30.2 | 1.53x | Significant |
| 24 | Duplin County | NC | 45.4 | 30.2 | 1.5x | Significant |
| 25 | Surry County | NC | 45 | 30.2 | 1.49x | Significant |
| 26 | Perquimans County | NC | 44.6 | 30.2 | 1.48x | Significant |
| 27 | Hoke County | NC | 44.4 | 30.2 | 1.47x | Significant |
| 28 | Davidson County | NC | 44.3 | 30.2 | 1.47x | Significant |
| 29 | Johnston County | NC | 44.3 | 30.2 | 1.47x | Significant |
| 30 | Lenoir County | NC | 44.2 | 30.2 | 1.46x | Significant |
| 31 | Stokes County | NC | 44.2 | 30.2 | 1.46x | Significant |
| 32 | Halifax County | NC | 44 | 30.2 | 1.46x | Significant |
| 33 | Currituck County | NC | 43.9 | 30.2 | 1.45x | Significant |
| 34 | Vance County | NC | 43.8 | 30.2 | 1.45x | Significant |
| 35 | Burke County | NC | 43.7 | 30.2 | 1.45x | Significant |
| 36 | Northampton County | NC | 43.7 | 30.2 | 1.45x | Significant |
| 37 | Cumberland County | NC | 43.6 | 30.2 | 1.44x | Significant |
| 38 | McDowell County | NC | 43.3 | 30.2 | 1.43x | Significant |
| 39 | Pender County | NC | 43.3 | 30.2 | 1.43x | Significant |
| 40 | Craven County | NC | 42.9 | 30.2 | 1.42x | Significant |
| 41 | Person County | NC | 42.9 | 30.2 | 1.42x | Significant |
| 42 | Swain County | NC | 42.2 | 30.2 | 1.4x | Significant |
| 43 | Davie County | NC | 42.1 | 30.2 | 1.39x | Significant |
| 44 | Alexander County | NC | 41.8 | 30.2 | 1.38x | Significant |
| 45 | Gaston County | NC | 41.7 | 30.2 | 1.38x | Significant |
| 46 | Rutherford County | NC | 41.2 | 30.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 47 | Wilkes County | NC | 41.2 | 30.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 48 | Alamance County | NC | 41.1 | 30.2 | 1.36x | Significant |
| 49 | Bertie County | NC | 40.7 | 30.2 | 1.35x | Significant |
| 50 | Cleveland County | NC | 40.5 | 30.2 | 1.34x | Significant |
| 51 | Camden County | NC | 40.4 | 30.2 | 1.34x | No |
| 52 | Greene County | NC | 40.3 | 30.2 | 1.33x | No |
| 53 | Alleghany County | NC | 40.2 | 30.2 | 1.33x | No |
| 54 | Rowan County | NC | 40.1 | 30.2 | 1.33x | Significant |
| 55 | Wilson County | NC | 40 | 30.2 | 1.32x | Significant |
| 56 | Madison County | NC | 39.7 | 30.2 | 1.31x | Significant |
| 57 | Gates County | NC | 39.5 | 30.2 | 1.31x | No |
| 58 | Pasquotank County | NC | 39.3 | 30.2 | 1.3x | Significant |
| 59 | Beaufort County | NC | 39.1 | 30.2 | 1.29x | Significant |
| 60 | Granville County | NC | 38.2 | 30.2 | 1.26x | Significant |
| 61 | Cherokee County | NC | 37.7 | 30.2 | 1.25x | Significant |
| 62 | Warren County | NC | 37.7 | 30.2 | 1.25x | No |
| 63 | Carteret County | NC | 37.5 | 30.2 | 1.24x | Significant |
| 64 | Mitchell County | NC | 37.5 | 30.2 | 1.24x | No |
| 65 | Pamlico County | NC | 37.3 | 30.2 | 1.24x | No |
| 66 | Forsyth County | NC | 36.8 | 30.2 | 1.22x | Significant |
| 67 | Franklin County | NC | 36.7 | 30.2 | 1.22x | Significant |
| 68 | Dare County | NC | 36.5 | 30.2 | 1.21x | No |
| 69 | Lee County | NC | 36.5 | 30.2 | 1.21x | Significant |
| 70 | Macon County | NC | 36.4 | 30.2 | 1.21x | Significant |
| 71 | Haywood County | NC | 36 | 30.2 | 1.19x | Significant |
| 72 | Nash County | NC | 35.5 | 30.2 | 1.18x | Significant |
| 73 | Pitt County | NC | 35.4 | 30.2 | 1.17x | Significant |
| 74 | Montgomery County | NC | 35.2 | 30.2 | 1.17x | No |
| 75 | Cabarrus County | NC | 34.9 | 30.2 | 1.16x | Significant |
| 76 | Lincoln County | NC | 34.9 | 30.2 | 1.16x | Significant |
| 77 | Yancey County | NC | 34.7 | 30.2 | 1.15x | No |
| 78 | Brunswick County | NC | 34.3 | 30.2 | 1.14x | Significant |
| 79 | Iredell County | NC | 33.8 | 30.2 | 1.12x | Significant |
| 80 | Ashe County | NC | 33.6 | 30.2 | 1.11x | No |
| 81 | Catawba County | NC | 33.5 | 30.2 | 1.11x | No |
| 82 | Moore County | NC | 33 | 30.2 | 1.09x | No |
| 83 | Guilford County | NC | 32.7 | 30.2 | 1.08x | Significant |
| 84 | New Hanover County | NC | 32.4 | 30.2 | 1.07x | No |
| 85 | Chowan County | NC | 31.8 | 30.2 | 1.05x | No |
| 86 | Henderson County | NC | 30.9 | 30.2 | 1.02x | No |
| 87 | Union County | NC | 29.9 | 30.2 | 0.99x | No |
| 88 | Avery County | NC | 29.7 | 30.2 | 0.98x | No |
| 89 | Transylvania County | NC | 28.9 | 30.2 | 0.96x | No |
| 90 | Clay County | NC | 28.3 | 30.2 | 0.94x | No |
| 91 | Buncombe County | NC | 28.2 | 30.2 | 0.93x | No |
| 92 | Mecklenburg County | NC | 25.4 | 30.2 | 0.84x | No |
| 93 | Durham County | NC | 25.1 | 30.2 | 0.83x | No |
| 94 | Watauga County | NC | 24.9 | 30.2 | 0.82x | No |
| 95 | Wake County | NC | 24.7 | 30.2 | 0.82x | No |
| 96 | Jackson County | NC | 24.3 | 30.2 | 0.8x | No |
| 97 | Chatham County | NC | 23.4 | 30.2 | 0.77x | No |
| 98 | Polk County | NC | 22.8 | 30.2 | 0.75x | No |
| 99 | Orange County | NC | 21.4 | 30.2 | 0.71x | No |