From 2015 to 2017, the U.S. death rate from excessive cold or hypothermia among people 15 and older rose steadily with age — and in every age group it was higher in nonmetropolitan counties than in metropolitan ones.
| Deaths per 100,000 | Metropolitan counties | Nonmetropolitan counties |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 15–24 (lowest) | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Ages 85 and older (highest) | 3.8 | 7.3 |
Death rates from excessive cold or hypothermia, ages 15 and older, 2015–2017; bars show crude rates with 95% confidence intervals. Image from CDC's report
How the deaths were counted
- Cause: death certificates with the underlying cause "exposure to excessive natural cold" or listing hypothermia among the causes.
- Urban or rural: by the Office of Management and Budget's February 2013 definitions. A metropolitan statistical area needs at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more people; everywhere else is nonmetropolitan.
- Data: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System mortality data, 2015–2017.
Sources
Based on Merianne R. Spencer, "QuickStats: Death Rates Attributed to Excessive Cold or Hypothermia Among Persons Aged ≥15 Years, by Urbanization Level and Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, 2015–2017," MMWR, volume 68, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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