NC / county disease rankings
Counties with the highest infant mortality rates in North Carolina
Among 60 North Carolina counties with published values, the counties with the highest infant mortality rates are Martin County, NC (12.3, 1.98 times the U.S. county median of 6.2), Lenoir County, NC (12, 1.94 times the U.S. county median of 6.2) and Edgecombe County, NC (11.8, 1.9 times the U.S. county median of 6.2). Values are deaths under 1 per 1,000 births.
Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. These are county-level figures, compared with the U.S. county median. 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.
All North Carolina counties, highest first
Infant mortality, deaths under 1 per 1,000 births.
| Rank | County | State | Value | U.S. county median | Times reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin County | NC | 12.3 | 6.2 | 1.98x |
| 2 | Lenoir County | NC | 12 | 6.2 | 1.94x |
| 3 | Edgecombe County | NC | 11.8 | 6.2 | 1.9x |
| 4 | Richmond County | NC | 11.6 | 6.2 | 1.87x |
| 5 | Pitt County | NC | 11.2 | 6.2 | 1.81x |
| 6 | Halifax County | NC | 10.5 | 6.2 | 1.69x |
| 7 | Beaufort County | NC | 10.1 | 6.2 | 1.63x |
| 8 | Wilson County | NC | 9.7 | 6.2 | 1.56x |
| 9 | Robeson County | NC | 9.5 | 6.2 | 1.53x |
| 10 | Scotland County | NC | 9.1 | 6.2 | 1.47x |
| 11 | Vance County | NC | 8.9 | 6.2 | 1.44x |
| 12 | Cumberland County | NC | 8.8 | 6.2 | 1.42x |
| 13 | Forsyth County | NC | 8.8 | 6.2 | 1.42x |
| 14 | Bladen County | NC | 8.7 | 6.2 | 1.4x |
| 15 | Randolph County | NC | 8.7 | 6.2 | 1.4x |
| 16 | Columbus County | NC | 8.6 | 6.2 | 1.39x |
| 17 | Guilford County | NC | 8.6 | 6.2 | 1.39x |
| 18 | Craven County | NC | 8.5 | 6.2 | 1.37x |
| 19 | Yadkin County | NC | 8.3 | 6.2 | 1.34x |
| 20 | Duplin County | NC | 8.1 | 6.2 | 1.31x |
| 21 | Person County | NC | 8.1 | 6.2 | 1.31x |
| 22 | Cleveland County | NC | 8 | 6.2 | 1.29x |
| 23 | Lee County | NC | 8 | 6.2 | 1.29x |
| 24 | Chatham County | NC | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.27x |
| 25 | Hoke County | NC | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.27x |
| 26 | Rutherford County | NC | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.27x |
| 27 | Wayne County | NC | 7.8 | 6.2 | 1.26x |
| 28 | Nash County | NC | 7.6 | 6.2 | 1.23x |
| 29 | Orange County | NC | 7.6 | 6.2 | 1.23x |
| 30 | Burke County | NC | 7.5 | 6.2 | 1.21x |
| 31 | Rockingham County | NC | 7.5 | 6.2 | 1.21x |
| 32 | Stanly County | NC | 7.5 | 6.2 | 1.21x |
| 33 | Wilkes County | NC | 7.4 | 6.2 | 1.19x |
| 34 | Pasquotank County | NC | 7.3 | 6.2 | 1.18x |
| 35 | Alamance County | NC | 7.2 | 6.2 | 1.16x |
| 36 | Brunswick County | NC | 7.2 | 6.2 | 1.16x |
| 37 | Gaston County | NC | 7.2 | 6.2 | 1.16x |
| 38 | Iredell County | NC | 7.2 | 6.2 | 1.16x |
| 39 | Haywood County | NC | 7 | 6.2 | 1.13x |
| 40 | Davidson County | NC | 6.9 | 6.2 | 1.11x |
| 41 | Franklin County | NC | 6.8 | 6.2 | 1.1x |
| 42 | Sampson County | NC | 6.8 | 6.2 | 1.1x |
| 43 | Catawba County | NC | 6.5 | 6.2 | 1.05x |
| 44 | Rowan County | NC | 6.5 | 6.2 | 1.05x |
| 45 | Caldwell County | NC | 6.4 | 6.2 | 1.03x |
| 46 | Pender County | NC | 6.4 | 6.2 | 1.03x |
| 47 | Harnett County | NC | 6.2 | 6.2 | 1x |
| 48 | Surry County | NC | 5.9 | 6.2 | 0.95x |
| 49 | Durham County | NC | 5.8 | 6.2 | 0.94x |
| 50 | Johnston County | NC | 5.7 | 6.2 | 0.92x |
| 51 | Henderson County | NC | 5.6 | 6.2 | 0.9x |
| 52 | Moore County | NC | 5.6 | 6.2 | 0.9x |
| 53 | Mecklenburg County | NC | 5.5 | 6.2 | 0.89x |
| 54 | New Hanover County | NC | 5.5 | 6.2 | 0.89x |
| 55 | Cabarrus County | NC | 5.4 | 6.2 | 0.87x |
| 56 | Lincoln County | NC | 5.4 | 6.2 | 0.87x |
| 57 | Wake County | NC | 5.4 | 6.2 | 0.87x |
| 58 | Onslow County | NC | 5.3 | 6.2 | 0.85x |
| 59 | Buncombe County | NC | 5.1 | 6.2 | 0.82x |
| 60 | Union County | NC | 4.4 | 6.2 | 0.71x |