ME / county disease rankings

Counties with the highest lung cancer incidence rates in Maine

Among 16 Maine counties with published values, the counties with the highest lung cancer incidence rates are Piscataquis County, ME (89.2, 1.72 times the U.S. rate of 51.8), Somerset County, ME (84.1, 1.62 times the U.S. rate of 51.8) and Penobscot County, ME (79.6, 1.54 times the U.S. rate of 51.8). Values are per 100,000, age-adjusted. 11 of the 16 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.