Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Deaths due to Heart Disease
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Deaths due to Heart Disease by County, New Jersey, 2020
Why Is This Important?
Heart disease affects every segment of the population. It is the leading cause of death among all Americans, all New Jerseyans, and for both men and women.
Definition
Deaths with heart disease as the underlying cause of death. ICD-10 codes: I00-I09,I11,I13,I20-I51
Data Sources
- Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/) - Population Estimates, State Data Center, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/demographics/population-household-estimates/) - Underlying Cause of Death, CDC WONDER On-line Database, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://wonder.cdc.gov/Deaths-by-Underlying-Cause.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of deaths due to heart disease |
| Denominator: | Estimated number of persons in the population |
How Are We Doing?
The age-adjusted death rate due to heart disease had been steadily declining for many years before increasing in 2020. In recent years, nearly 19,000 NJ resident deaths each year were due to heart disease. In 2020, there were over 19,700 such deaths. In the total population and among each racial/ethnic group, males have a higher death rate than females. Among the four major racial/ethnic groups in New Jersey, the rate is highest among Blacks. In 2020, county rates ranged from a low of 124 deaths per 100,000 residents (age-adjusted) in Somerset to a high of 253 in Cumberland.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
Since 2002, the New Jersey age-adjusted death rate due to heart disease had been about the same as the nationwide rate. In 2019, New Jersey's rate was significantly lower than that of the US for the first time. However, the difference was not statistically significant in 2020. It is conceivable that the COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in other causes of death due to delays in medical care and fears of going to the hospital and being exposed to COVID.
More Resources
NJDOH Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program: [http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/chronic/heart-disease-stroke/] NJDOH Cardiac Services: [http://www.nj.gov/health/healthcarequality/health-care-professionals/cardiac-stroke-services/] CDC Heart Disease info: [https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/index.html]