The cardiovascular disease mortality rate provides a way to understand a population’s overall health. Cardiovascular disease can be caused by diet, lack of exercise, smoking and environmental risk factors. Differences between groups of people can highlight differing access to healthcare and public services, adequate nutrition and living conditions, all of which impact a population’s susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.
The data for this indicator is available through the Washington State Department of Health's Washington Tracking Network (WTN). For this measure, cardiovascular disease mortality is defined as an age-adjusted rate of deaths per 100,000 due to cardiovascular disease, such as coronary heart disease, strokes, aortic disease and peripheral arterial disease.
Go to: Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Map | Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Now | Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Trend
Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Map
Age adjusted rate per 100,000
Source(s): Washington State Department of Health, 2018-2022 Washington Tracking Network, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - Age Adjusted Rate per 100,000; U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division 2020 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
Insights & Analysis
- Kitsap County has the lowest cardiovascular disease mortality rate (182 per 100,000), followed by King (186), Snohomish (195), and Pierce (234).
- Communities with the lowest cardiovascular disease mortality rate (per 100,000) are in Edmonds, Snohomish County (74); Redmond, King County (74); Laurelhurst/Windmere neighborhoods (Seattle), King County (74).
- Communities with the highest cardiovascular disease mortality rate (per 100,000) are in Kent, King County (479); Elk Plain, Pierce County (465); downtown Tacoma, Pierce County (456).
Source(s): Washington State Department of Health, 2018-2022 Washington Tracking Network, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - Age Adjusted Rate per 100,000; U.S. Census Bureau, 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Tables B02001, C17002, B22010, B11005, B11007, C16002
Note 1: Horizontal axis (low, medium, high) denotes concentrations of each community. See, "How is equity measured?" for more information.
Note 2: For Households with Limited English Proficiency, the low and low medium categories have the same value in Kitsap and Pierce counties. There are more census tracts in those places estimated to have 0 households with limited English proficiency than the number of tracts in the low quintile category. The values for the low and low medium categories were averaged.
Insights & Analysis
- The smallest difference in the cardiovascular disease mortality rate between communities with high and low concentrations of households with lower income is in Snohomish County (32 per 100,000), followed by Kitsap County (47), King County (49), and Pierce County (62).
- The rate of heart disease and stroke-related deaths is highest in areas with high concentrations of people with disabilities in all the counties; however, the rate varies from 209 per 100,000 in Snohomish County to 252 per 100,000 in Pierce County.
- Across the region, the rate of heart disease and stroke-related deaths slightly increases in areas with higher concentrations of households with limited English proficiency; however the difference is relatively small - a difference of 15 deaths (per 100,000) between the communities with the lowest and highest concentrations.
- Communities with high concentrations of households with children have higher rates of cardiovascular disease mortality in King County, while there is no clear trend in Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
- The cardiovascular disease mortality rate is 205 (per 100,000) for communities with high concentrations of people of color, which is 8% higher than those with low concentrations (190).
- In Pierce County, the rate of heart disease and stroke-related deaths for communities with high concentrations of households with lower income is 30% higher than the regional average.
Source(s): Washington State Department of Health, 2008-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2022 Washington Tracking Network, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - Age Adjusted Rate per 100,000; U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Tables B02001, C17002, B22010, B11005, B11007, C16002
Note 1: Line categories (low, low-medium, etc.) denote concentrations of each community. See, "How is equity measured?" for more information.
Note 2: For Households with Limited English Proficiency, the low and low medium categories have the same value in Kitsap and Pierce counties. There are more census tracts in those places estimated to have 0 households with limited English proficiency than the number of tracts in the low quintile category. The values for the low and low medium categories were averaged.
Note 3: Data for households with limited English proficiency are only available starting in 2016.
Insights & Analysis
- For areas with high concentrations of people of color, Kitsap County is the only county in the region where the cardiovascular disease mortality rate increased over the past decade (by 2%).
- Although deaths related to heart disease and stroke have decreased over time for communities with high concentrations of households with lower income in all counties, the rate has remained the highest in Pierce County (267 per 100,000) - compared to Snohomish Couny (2019), King County (216), and Kitsap County (201).
- For areas with high concentrations of people with disabilities, the cardiovascular disease mortality rate has decreased over time in Snohomish County (-28 per 100,000) and Pierce County (-5 per 100,000), while the rate has very slightly increased in King County (+1 per 100,000) and Kitsap County (+15 per 100,000).
- The regional cardiovascular disease mortality rate for communities with high concentrations of people of color is larger than that for communities with low concentration – the disparity is 42% smaller in 2022 than in 2012.
- Communities with high concentrations of households with lower income have larger cardiovascular disease mortality rates than those with low concentrations (difference: 58/100,000) - the disparity is 21% smaller in 2022 than in 2012.
- The regional cardiovascular disease mortality rate for communities with high concentrations of households with youth is larger than communities with small concentrations - the disparity has increased 174% between 2012 and 2022.