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Deaths among Persons Aged 85 Years and Older

Summary Indicator Report Data View Options

Why Is This Important?

In a typical year, about 35% of all deaths among New Jersey residents are of persons aged 85 years and over.

Definition

Deaths among persons aged 85 years and over

Data Sources

How the Measure is Calculated

Numerator:Number of deaths among persons aged 85 years and over
Denominator:Estimated number of persons in the population aged 85 years and over

How Are We Doing?

The death rate among those aged 85 years and over was generally declining through 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp (22%) increase in 2020 followed by an 11% decline in 2021. The death rate was highest among Whites, followed by Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. In 2021, the leading causes of death among adults aged 85 years and over were heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

Prior to 2020, the death rate among New Jersey residents aged 85 years and over was about the same as the national rate. In 2020, New Jersey's rate rose above the US rate due to the early onset of COVID-19 in New Jersey. In 2021, the New Jersey rate declined and was below the US rate.

Available Services

NJDHS Division of Aging Services: [http://nj.gov/humanservices/doas/services/]

More Resources

Heart Disease: [https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/index.html] COVID-19: [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html] Cancer: [https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/] Alzheimer's Disease and Healthy Aging: [https://www.cdc.gov/aging/index.html] Stroke: [https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/about/index.html] COPD: [https://www.cdc.gov/copd/index.html]

Health Program Information

NJDOH Chronic Disease Prevention & Control Services: [http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/chronic/index.shtml] NJDOH Cancer Initiatives: [http://nj.gov/health/ces/]

Indicator Data Last Updated On 02/21/2024, Published on 06/05/2024
Center for Health Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360, e-mail: chs@doh.nj.gov (https://www.nj.gov/health/chs)