SOURCE: US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Map & Data: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDCgov) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHStats)
Website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db295.htm
Beyond The Map: Black Mamas Matter Alliance - Black Maternal Health Week
Infant mortality has long been a basic measure of public health for countries around the world. While the overall infant mortality rate in the United States is lower than a decade ago, declining 14% from 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005, a recent high, to 5.90 in 2015, the rate in 2015 was not statistically different from that in 2014 (5.82). The variability in infant mortality rates by state and by race and Hispanic origin continues to receive attention. This report uses linked birth and infant death data from 2013 through 2015 to describe infant mortality rates in the United States by state, and for race and Hispanic-origin groups by state.
In 2013–2015, five of the nine highest mortality rates for infants of non-Hispanic black women were in Midwestern states.
The highest state mortality rate for infants of non-Hispanic black women was 14.28 per 1,000 live births in Wisconsin, 1.7 times as high as the lowest rate of 8.27 in Massachusetts (Figure 3 above).
Eight states had infant mortality rates significantly lower than the U.S. rate for infants of non-Hispanic black women (11.10): California, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington.
Seven states had infant mortality rates significantly higher than the U.S. rate: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin.