According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every six deaths from cardiovascular disease is due to a stroke. There are many states that have different rates of stroke deaths. Mississippi, which had 57.8 stroke-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, was the state with the highest per capita number in 2021. With 56.8 deaths per 100,000 residents, Delaware is second, while Alabama was third with 54.9 deaths per 100,000. New York and Massachusetts, on the other hand, had 25 or less stroke deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. They are the two states with the least number of deaths from strokes.
Mississippi and Alabama also have some the highest levels of poverty in the country (via U.S. News). The high rates of stroke deaths are likely due to this, as well as the inaccessibility to affordable healthcare. The two states have large Black populations, which are twice as likely than white Americans to sustain a stroke. These factors are crucial, but more research is needed to understand why stroke deaths are twice the common in certain states and how to decrease stroke deaths across the country.