Sally C Curtin

• MA, Demography
• Statistician at National Center for Healh Statistics/Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention

Key findings: Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality •From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006. •Suicide rates increased from 1999 through 2014 for both males and females and for all ages 10-74....

Since the mid-1970s, cancer death rates among children and adolescents in the United States showed marked declines despite a slow increase in incidence for some of the major types (1–3). These trends have previously been shown through 2012. This data brief extends previous research by showing trends in cancer death rates through 2014 among children...

In 1999, the mortality rate for children and adolescents aged 10–14 years for deaths from motor vehicle traffic injury (4.5 per 100,000) was about four times higher than the rate for deaths for suicide and homicide (both at 1.2). From 1999 to 2014, the death rate for motor vehicle traffic injury declined 58%, to 1.9 in 2014 (384 deaths). From 1999...

The death rate for children and teens aged 1–19 years caused by leukemia decreased by 33%, from 0.85 per 100,000 population in 1999 to 0.57 in 2014. The brain cancer death rate fluctuated from 1999 to 2014, but remained statistically stable (0.68 in 1999 and in 2014). For all other cancer types, death rates for children and teens aged 1–19 years de...

Injury deaths are caused by an acute injury to the body, either by exposure to physical agents (such as the drugs involved in overdoses) or by the lack of an essential substance (such as oxygen in drowning) (1). These deaths are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Injury deaths can be intentional or unintentional and are categor...

Objectives—This report presents final 2022 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age group, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements “Deaths: Final Data for 2022,” the National Center for Health Statistics’ annual report of fina...

Introduction: This report provides final 2022 suicide numbers and age-adjusted rates, updating a provisional 2022 suicide report. Methods: Data were analyzed using National Vital Statistics System multiple cause-of-death mortality files for 2002 through 2022, with suicide deaths identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Rev...

Introduction: This data brief presents trends in stroke death rates to middle-aged people 45-64, in total and by gender, for 2002 to 2022. Trends are also presented for males and females by region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) from 2002 to 2022. For 2022, stroke death rates are presented for males and females by race and Hispanic origin wit...

Objectives—This report presents final 2021 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age group, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements “Deaths: Final Data for 2021,” the National Center for Health Statistics’ annual report of fina...

In 2020, many of the 10 leading causes of death changed rank order due to the emergence of COVID-19 as a leading cause of death in the United States. The 10 leading causes of death in 2020 were, in rank order: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; COVID-19; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory di...

Objectives-This report presents the provisional number of deaths due to suicide in 2022 by demographic characteristics (age, sex, and race and Hispanic origin) compared with final 2021 data.

Since the mid-1970s, cancer death rates for youth in the United States have declined significantly despite a slow increase in incidence for some of the major types (1-3). A previous report with trends from 1999 through 2014 showed declines for all 5-year age groups of youth (0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19) (4). This Data Brief updates that report by presen...

Deaths due to suicide and homicide, often referred to collectively as violent deaths, have been a leading cause of premature death to people aged 10-24 in the United States (1-3). A previous version of this report with data through 2017 showed that suicide and homicide rates for people aged 10-24 were trending upward (4). This report updates the pr...

In 2021, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 and the 12th leading cause in 2020 (1). As the second leading cause of death in people aged 10-34 and the fifth in people aged 35-54, suicide contributes to premature mortality (1). After peaking in 2018, rates declined through 20...

A report on trends from 2000 through 2017 in death rates among adults in the United States described increasing rates starting around 2012 for adults aged 25–44 in the three largest race and ethnicity groups (1). Most of the adults in this age range in 2020 are part of the millennial generation (born from 1981 to 1996) and have recently become the...

Alcohol use is a known risk factor for mortality, and the rates of alcohol induced deaths have risen over the past several years (1). Alcohol use in the United States increased during the first year of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have affected mortality rates, especially for alcohol-induced deaths (2). Understanding...

Suicide rates in the United States have traditionally been higher for non-Hispanic White than non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic people (1). However, provisional data demonstrated that patterns have changed recently with rates declining for non-Hispanic White people but increasing for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic people (2). This report presents su...

The purpose of this report is to provide guidance to users of NCHS data in the selection of modeling options when using the NCI Joinpoint regression software to analyze trends. This report complements another report, "National Center for Health Statistics Guidelines for Analysis of Trends." Considerations are presented for selecting the modeling op...

Death rates in the United States are higher in rural than urban areas, and the difference has grown over the last 2 decades (1). Death rates for all of the 10 leading causes of death in 2019 were higher in rural than urban areas (1). In 2020, deaths due to COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in the United States (2). This report presen...

Objectives-This report presents provisional numbers of deaths due to suicide by month and demographic characteristics (age and sex) for 2021 and compares them with final numbers for 2020. Age-adjusted and age-specific suicide rates are presented by sex and compared with final 2020 rates.

Age-adjusted cancer and heart disease death rates for both males and females declined steadily from 2010 to 2019. Cancer death rates continued to decline for both males and females during 2019–2020 to 170.3 per 100,000 population (males) and 124.5 (females) in 2020. The pattern was different for deaths caused by heart disease for both males and fem...

In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 due to the emergence of COVID-19 deaths and increases in deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (1). As the second leading cause of death in people aged 10-34 and the fifth leading cause in people aged 35-54,...

Objectives-This report presents a mortality profile of the U.S. non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) population for 2019. Standard mortality statistics, adjusted for race and Hispanic-origin misclassification on death certificates, are provided along with comparisons with the three major U.S. populations: non-Hispanic white, non-His...

Objectives-This report presents provisional numbers of deaths due to suicide by demographic characteristics (sex and race and Hispanic origin) and by month for 2020 and compares them with final numbers for 2019. Both age-adjusted and age-specific suicide rates are presented by sex and race and Hispanic origin and compared with final 2019 rates.

Objectives-This report presents a mortality profile of the U.S. non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) population for 2019. Standard mortality statistics, adjusted for race and Hispanic-origin misclassification on death certificates, are provided along with comparisons with the three major U.S. populations: non-Hispanic white, non-His...

Objectives-This report presents age-adjusted death rates by marital status (married, never married, widowed, and divorced) among adults aged 25 and over. Rates for all-cause mortality are presented for 2010-2019 and for the 10 leading causes of death for 2010 and 2019.

Cancer death rates declined among males and females during 1999–2019 in urban areas from 249.6 per 100,000 to 168.4 for males and from 168.2 to 123.9 for females. Rates also declined in rural areas from 262.4 to 195.6 for males and from 165.4 to 139.2 for females. Throughout the period, cancer death rates were higher for males than females and in r...

In the United States, approximately 15% of the population resides in counties located in rural areas (1). Those living in rural areas often face greater public health challenges as they have more limited access to health care, are less likely to be insured, and are more likely to live in poverty (1,2). This report provides the latest national data...

Mortality rates for adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years for deaths from motor-vehicle–traffic injury, suicide, and homicide remained relatively stable during 1999–2006 and then exhibited different patterns through 2019.

In 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States (1). As the second leading cause of death for ages 10-34 and the fourth leading cause for ages 35-54, suicide is a major contributor to premature mortality (2). Recent reports have documented a steady increase in suicide rates over the past two decades (3-6). Thi...

Key findings:Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality •Suicide rates for urban and rural areas increased overall from 2000 through 2018, with the pace of increase greater for rural suicide rates, compared with urban, after 2007. •In 2018, the rural male suicide rate (30.7 per 100,000) was higher than the urban male suicide rate (21...

Data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) •The death rate due to motor vehicle traffic (MVT) injury for persons aged 15–24 was stable from 2000 to 2006, declined 36% from 2006 (25.1 per 100,000) to 2010 (16.1), and then was stable through 2018 (14.7). •Over the 2000–2018 period, MVT death rates for males aged 15–24 in rural areas were a...

Key findings Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality ●● Age-adjusted rates of alcohol-induced deaths among adults aged 25 and over were stable from 2000 to 2006, then increased 43% from 10.7 per 100,000 in 2006 to 15.3 in 2018. ●● For both males and females, alcohol-induced death rates increased at a greater rate between 2000 and...

Abstract Objectives—This report presents suicide death rates among persons aged 10–24 for the United States and by state for 2000 through 2018 and percent change between 3-year periods of 2007–2009 and 2016–2018. Suicide rates are compared among states for 2016–2018. Methods—Data are from death certificates from all 50 states and the District of Co...

Objectives-This report describes the methodology used in the preparation of the 2009-2011 decennial life tables for the United States by race, Hispanic origin, and sex based on the age-specific death rates for the period 2009-2011, appearing in the report, "U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 2009-2011, United States Life Tables" (1). Methods-Data used...

Objectives-This report presents period life tables for the United States, based on age-specific death rates for the period 2009-2011. These tables are the most recent in a 110-year series of decennial life tables for the United States. Methods-This report presents complete life tables for the United States by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, based o...

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States (1). Suicide is a major contributor to premature mortality as it ranks as the second leading cause of death for ages 10-34 and the fourth leading cause for ages 35-54 (1). Despite national goals to lower the suicide rate (2), several recent reports have documented a steady...

Studies have shown that adults in the United States are increasingly postponing marriage, and that a record number of current youth and young adults are projected to forego marriage altogether (1,2). Marriage has been shown to be correlated with positive health outcomes and longevity (3), and a recent report showed that age-adjusted death rates for...

Deaths due to suicide and homicide, often referred to collectively as violent deaths, have consistently been a major cause of premature death to persons aged 10–24 in the United States (1–3). In 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death for persons aged 10–14, 15–19, and 20–24, and homicide ranked third for persons aged 15–19 and 20–24 an...

Previous studies have found that married persons have lower mortality rates than unmarried persons, attributable to either selectivity in entering marriage (i.e., healthier people are more likely to marry) or health-protective effects of marriage, or a combination of the two (1,2). This report presents trends for 2010-2017 in age-adjusted death rat...

Hispanic adults in the United States have experienced lower overall mortality and consequently higher life expectancy than non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black adults (1,2). This report presents recent trends in age-adjusted death rates from 2000 through 2017 for adults aged 25 and over for Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black...

The age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States in 2017 (14.0 per 100,000 standard population) was 33% higher than the rate in 1999 (10.5) (1). This NCHS Health E-Stat provides supplemental information on suicide rates by sex, age, and race and ethnicity.

Objectives-This report presents death rates for cancer and heart disease among adults aged 45-64 in the United States for 1999-2017. Rates for 1999-2017 are presented by sex and race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic). Methods-Mortality statistics in this report are based on information from death certificates file...

This handbook contains instructions for funeral directors on completing and filing records of death and fetal death. These instructions apply to the 2003 revisions of the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death and the U.S. Standard Report of Fetal Death, and the 1992 revision of the Model State Vital Statistics Act and Regulations. This handbook is int...

The injury death rate for persons aged 15–19 years declined from 52.7 per 100,000 in 1999 to 32.8 in 2013 but then increased to 40.0 in 2017. Homicide, suicide, and unintentional injury rates have all declined since 1999, with suicide rates beginning to increase in 2008 and homicide rates increasing in 2014. There was not a clear pattern for uninte...

Since 2008, suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States (1). In 2016, suicide became the second leading cause of death for ages 10–34 and the fourth leading cause for ages 35–54 (1). Although the Healthy People 2020 target is to reduce suicide rates to 10.2 per 100,000 by 2020 (2), suicide rates have stea...

In 2016, the death rate in the United States for motor vehicle traffic injury was 11.7 per 100,000 standard population. The three states with the highest age-adjusted death rates were Mississippi (25.4), Alabama (23.3), and South Carolina (20.9). New York (5.3), Rhode Island (5.0), and the District of Columbia (4.5) had the lowest rates.

During 2010–2016, use of firearms was the most common homicide method in the United States, followed by the use of instruments for cutting and piercing and then suffocation. The number of firearm-related homicides was relatively stable during 2010–2014 (fluctuating between 11,008 and 11,622) but then increased by 31% from 2014 (11,008) to 2016 (14,...

This report presents numbers of injury deaths and death rates for children and adolescents aged 10-19 years in the United States for 1999-2016. Numbers and rates are presented by sex for 1999-2016, by injury intent (e.g., unintentional, suicide, and homicide) and method (e.g., motor vehicle traffic, firearms, and suffocation). Numbers and rates of...

In 2016, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (1). Although the Healthy People 2020 target is to reduce suicide rates to 10.2 per 100,000 by 2020 (2), suicide rates have steadily increased in recent years (3,4). This Data Brief uses the most recent data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) to update trends in...

Objectives-This report presents final 2015 data on U.S. deaths, death rates, life expectancy, infant mortality, and trends, by selected characteristics such as age, sex, Hispanic origin and race, state of residence, and cause of death. Methods-Information reported on death certificates, which are completed by funeral directors, attending physicians...

Persistent racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States have been documented and are complex and multifaceted. Furthering the understanding of the origins of these differences is a public health priority. This chapter explores racial/ethnic differences in maternal morbidity (maternal transfusion, ruptured uteru...

From 2000 to 2015, death rates for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in the United States increased 31% (from 20.1 per 100,000 to 26.4) among persons aged 45–64 years. Rates in that age group increased 21% for men (from 29.8 to 36.2) and 57% for women (from 10.8 to 17.0). Among persons aged 25–44 years, the death rate for men decreased 10% (from...

Drug overdose deaths in the United States are a pressing public health challenge (1–3). In particular, drug overdoses involving opioids have increased since 1999 (1). This report focuses specifically on drug overdose deaths for older adolescents aged 15–19. In 2015, 772 drug overdose deaths occurred in this age group. Rates for 1999–2015 are presen...

The suicide rate for males aged 15–19 years increased from 12.0 to 18.1 per 100,000 population from 1975 to 1990, declined to 10.8 by 2007, and then increased 31% to 14.2 by 2015. The rate in 2015 for males was still lower than the peak rates in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Rates for females aged 15–19 were lower than for males aged 15–19 but follow...

There was an overall decline of 24% in the age-adjusted suicide rate from 1977 (13.7 per 100,000) to 2000 (10.4). The rate increased in most years from 2000 to 2015. The 2015 suicide rate (13.3) was 28% higher than in 2000. The rates for males and females followed the overall pattern; however, the rate for males was approximately 3–5 times higher t...

Suicide among adolescents aged 10-14 in the United States is at a record high. This presentation examines trends from 2000-2015 in suicide deaths among 10-14 year olds by gender and by means of the suicide. Joinpoint Regression Program is used to plot regression lines and compute average annual percent changes. Females aged 10-14 had a steady incre...

Introduction: Dynamic shifts in rates of homicide and suicide for youth aged 10-24 in the United States occurred during the first 15 years of the 21st century. In 2000, the homicide rate (8.9 per 100,000 youth aged 10-24) was 21% higher than the comparable suicide rate (7.0). During 2000-2014, the homicide rate generally declined while the suicide...

Women who ceased smoking during pregnancy are defined as those who reported cigarette smoking in either the first or second trimester and did not report smoking in the third trimester. In 2014, 20.6% of pregnant women who smoked cigarettes during the first or second trimester, in a reporting area of 46 states and the District of Columbia, stopped s...

Objectives: This report presents findings for 2014 on maternal smoking prevalence and cessation before and during pregnancy as collected on the 2003 U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth, for a 46-state and District of Columbia reporting area, representing 95% of all births in the United States. Methods: Cigarette smoking and cessation rates 3...

Objectives—This report presents 2014 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birth weight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth...

(Introduction) Vital statistics numbers and rates are widely used by the research community as well as policy makers and the general public. Aggregate data, particularly rates, have traditionally been published in reports with static tables and figures, most often in PDF format. Improving the access of these data with an interactive graphical inter...

This presentation is mostly about the data quality on an aggregate basis, by comparison with other large population-based studies. It covered three birth certificate data items—source of payment for the delivery, assisted reproduction technology or A-R-T, and date of last live birth (used to compute interpregnancy interval). This presentation was b...

Objectives—This report presents preliminary 2014 data on U.S. births. Births are shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight are also presented. Methods—Data are based on 99.71% of 2014 births. Records for the few states with less than 100% of re...

This line graph shows trends in birth rates by marital status for the United States, 1980-2014

Objectives—This report presents recent findings for 2013 on four maternal morbidities associated with labor and delivery—maternal transfusion, ruptured uterus, unplanned hysterectomy, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission—that are collected on birth certificates for a 41-state and District of Columbia reporting area, which represents 90% of all b...

The highest percentages of births occurred during the morning and midday hours. ● Births on Saturday and Sunday were more likely to occur in the late evening and early morning hours than births Monday through Friday. ● Compared with induced vaginal deliveries and noninduced vaginal deliveries, cesarean deliveries were the least likely to occur duri...

The highest percentages of births occurred during the morning and midday hours. Births on Saturday and Sunday were more likely to occur in the late evening and early morning hours than births Monday through Friday. Compared with induced vaginal deliveries and noninduced vaginal deliveries, cesarean deliveries were the least likely to occur during t...

Introduction: Rates of maternal morbidity have increased recently as more women enter pregnancy with underlying health issues. The effects of this increased morbidity on maternal mortality are unclear. In addition, there are persistent racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. Methods: Racial/ethnic differences will be explored...

Objectives—This report presents 2013 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight,and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth o...

OBJECTIVES: This report presents 2013 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth...

With increases in nonmarital fertility, the sequencing of transitions in early adulthood has become even more complex. Once the primary transition out of the parental home, marriage was first replaced by nonfamily living and cohabitation; more recently, many young adults have become parents before entering a coresidential union. Studies of leaving...

Data from the National Vital Statistics System and the National Survey of Family Growth. Nonmarital births and birth rates have declined 7% and 14%, respectively, since peaking in the late 2000s. Births to unmarried women totaled 1,605,643 in 2013. About 4 in 10 U.S. births were to unmarried women in each year from 2007 through 2013. Nonmarital bir...

Introduction: Healthcare coverage of pregnant women is associated with birth outcomes. Mothers whose pregnancies are insured by Medicaid are more likely to have a preterm and/or low birth weight infant compared with privately-insured mothers. Comparing birth outcomes for uninsured woman with Medicaid or privately-insured women is more complex as th...

Objectives-This report presents prelimina ry data for 2013 on births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthwe ight are also presented. Methods-Data in this report are based on 99.85% of 2013 births. Re...

Objectives: This report presents 2012 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birt...

The pregnancy rate for U.S. women in 2009 was 102.1 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, the lowest level in 12 years; only the 1997 rate of 101.6 has been lower in the last 30 years. Rates for women under age 30 fell during 1990-2009, while rates for women aged 30 and over increased. Rates for teenagers reached historic lows in 2009, including rates for th...

Objectives: This report is the first release of multistate data for selected items exclusive to the 2003 revision of the U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth. Included is information for prepregnancy body mass index, smoking and quitting smoking in the 3 months prior to pregnancy, receipt of food from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program...

Objectives-This report presents new data from birth certificates on the principal source of payment for the delivery in 2010 for the following groups: private insurance, Medicaid, self-pay (uninsured), and other payment sources. These data are for the 33 states and District of Columbia that adopted the 2003 U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth b...

This report presents detailed pregnancy rates for 1990-2008, updating a national series of rates extending since 1976. Tabular and graphical data on pregnancy rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, and by marital status are presented and described. In 2008, an estimated 6,578,000 pregnancies resulted in 4,248,000 live births, 1,212,000 induced ab...

This article examines the determinants of men's early parental roles, distinguishing factors that affect being a father versus being childless, and factors that affect being a resident versus a nonresident father, in the context of having a partner or not. We also consider whether these patterns have changed between 1985 and 2004. The data come fro...

This study compares levels of physical activity of 9–14-year-old children from a self-reported time diary with those measured using an accelerometer. Children (N = 92) wore an accelerometer for one weekend day and completed a 24-hour time diary for that day. The time children spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity from time diaries was mod...

Sixteen percent of children 6-11 years of age were classified as overweight in 1999-2002, quadruple the percentage in 1965. Although poverty has traditionally been associated with underweight as a result of poor diet, researchers have pointed recently to a paradox in the U.S., which is that low income and obesity can coexist in the same population....

Sixteen percent of children 6-11 years of age were classified as overweight in 1999-2002, four times the percentage in 1965. Although poverty has traditionally been associated with underweight as a result of poor diet, researchers have recently pointed to a paradox in the U.S., which is that low income and obesity can coexist in the same population...

This paper focuses on children's time in leisure activities. We use time diary data from the 1997 Child Development Supplement (CDS) of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine the amount of weekly time that children 6-12 years of age spend in various leisure activities—playing, studying, computer usage, watching television, art, hobbie...

Although new mothers are more likely than ever to be in the labour force, the time around childbirth is a dynamic one, with women quitting work altogether or changing jobs to accommodate the demands of their infants. The passage of Family and Medical Leave legislation during the 1980s and early 1990s may have altered incentives for employment among...

This report presents trends in rates of cesarean delivery and rates of vaginal birth after previous cesarean (VBAC) delivery for 1991-99. Data for the United States showing trends by maternal age, race/ethnicity, and State are presented. Also trends in cesarean rates by selected maternal characteristics, medical risk factors, and complications of l...