Mesothelioma rates by county and metro area
Mesothelioma clusters where asbestos was mined, milled, or used heavily, such as shipbuilding areas. These tables show the counties and metro areas with the highest death rates in federal data.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
In short
- In NIOSH's 2000 to 2004 county ranking, Sagadahoc County, Maine had the highest age-adjusted mesothelioma death rate, 97.1 per million.
- Among metro areas in CDC WONDER for 2019 to 2023, New Orleans-Metairie, LA had the highest death rate, 11.9 per million.
- County data are small and older; read them as a picture of past exposure, not of today's risk.
- A high rate in a place does not tell you anything about an individual's exposure or diagnosis.
Counties with the highest rates
The most recent county-level ranking published by a federal agency comes from NIOSH's 2007 lung disease surveillance report. Its Table 7-10 lists the U.S. counties with the highest age-adjusted mesothelioma death rates in 2000 to 2004, counting only counties with at least 5 deaths. The national rate for the same period was 11.5 per million.
The top three were Sagadahoc County, Maine (97.1 per million, 15 deaths), Koochiching County, Minnesota (77.5 per million, 6 deaths), Lincoln County, Montana (56.1 per million, 5 deaths). NIOSH's table does not give reasons for each county's rate. Where an agency or published study documents asbestos work in a place, our state guides cite it; for example, see Maine, Minnesota, Montana, and Virginia.
| Rank | County | State | Age-adjusted rate per million | Deaths, 2000-2004 | Percent female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sagadahoc County | Maine | 97.1 | 15 | 26.7 |
| 2 | Koochiching County | Minnesota | 77.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Lincoln County | Montana | 56.1 | 5 | 40.0 |
| 4 | Mason County | West Virginia | 55.6 | 7 | 14.3 |
| 5 | Carlton County | Minnesota | 55.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Lincoln County | Maine | 55.0 | 11 | 9.1 |
| 7 | Bonner County | Idaho | 50.7 | 9 | 11.1 |
| 8 | Washington County | Maine | 50.3 | 9 | 11.1 |
| 9 | Newport News City | Virginia | 49.2 | 29 | 6.9 |
| 10 | Kitsap County | Washington | 48.0 | 40 | 20.0 |
| 11 | Posey County | Indiana | 47.8 | 5 | 60.0 |
| 12 | York County | Virginia | 47.2 | 9 | 11.1 |
| 13 | Dickinson County | Michigan | 47.0 | 7 | 28.6 |
| 14 | Tooele County | Utah | 46.9 | 6 | 16.7 |
| 15 | Union County | Oregon | 45.5 | 5 | 40.0 |
| 16 | Tyler County | Texas | 44.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Jasper County | Indiana | 43.3 | 5 | 40.0 |
| 18 | Isle of Wight County | Virginia | 42.8 | 5 | 20.0 |
| 19 | Jefferson Parish | Louisiana | 42.1 | 75 | 34.7 |
| 20 | Somerset County | New Jersey | 41.0 | 45 | 33.3 |
| 21 | Portsmouth City | Virginia | 40.5 | 17 | 29.4 |
| 22 | Mason County | Washington | 39.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Martin County | Minnesota | 38.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Orange County | Texas | 38.4 | 13 | 7.7 |
| 25 | Hancock County | West Virginia | 38.0 | 7 | 14.3 |
| 26 | Houghton County | Michigan | 37.7 | 6 | 50.0 |
| 27 | Gloucester County | Virginia | 37.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| 28 | Franklin County | Washington | 37.4 | 5 | 20.0 |
| 29 | Alpena County | Michigan | 36.4 | 6 | 16.7 |
| 30 | Delaware County | Oklahoma | 35.7 | 7 | 28.6 |
| 31 | Anchorage Borough | Alaska | 35.6 | 14 | 0.0 |
| 32 | Yuba County | California | 34.8 | 7 | 28.6 |
| 33 | Polk County | Wisconsin | 34.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| 34 | Gloucester County | New Jersey | 34.8 | 34 | 11.8 |
| 35 | Kenosha County | Wisconsin | 34.4 | 19 | 26.3 |
| 36 | Niagara County | New York | 34.3 | 36 | 16.7 |
| 37 | Mason County | Michigan | 34.2 | 5 | 20.0 |
| 38 | Augusta County | Virginia | 34.1 | 9 | 11.1 |
| 39 | James City County | Virginia | 33.8 | 9 | 22.2 |
| 40 | Preble County | Ohio | 33.6 | 6 | 50.0 |
| 41 | Greenup County | Kentucky | 33.4 | 6 | 33.3 |
| 42 | Natrona County | Wyoming | 32.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| 43 | Jackson County | Mississippi | 32.5 | 14 | 21.4 |
| 44 | Chesapeake City | Virginia | 32.3 | 19 | 5.3 |
| 45 | Clinton County | Illinois | 32.2 | 5 | 40.0 |
| 46 | Windham County | Connecticut | 31.9 | 14 | 35.7 |
| 47 | Hill County | Texas | 31.7 | 5 | 20.0 |
| 48 | Cattaraugus County | New York | 31.5 | 12 | 25.0 |
| 49 | Siskiyou County | California | 31.3 | 8 | 12.5 |
| 50 | St. Louis County | Minnesota | 31.3 | 32 | 6.3 |
| United States overall | 11.5 | 12,895 | 18.9 |
These county figures are now about 20 years old. Because mesothelioma usually appears 20 to 50 years after exposure, they mostly reflect exposures from the mid-1900s. NIOSH notes that rates based on small numbers of deaths should be read with caution.
Metro areas, 2019 to 2023
CDC WONDER does not publish mesothelioma data for individual counties, but it does report metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), which are groups of counties around a city. The highest age-adjusted death rates in 2019 to 2023 were in New Orleans-Metairie, LA (11.9 per million), Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (10.7 per million), Portland-South Portland, ME (9.9 per million). For comparison, the U.S. rate was 5.6 per million.
| Rank | Metro area | Deaths, 2019-2023 | Death rate (95% CI) | New cases, 2018-2022 | Incidence rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 75 | 11.9 (9.3 to 15.0) | 93 | 15.5 |
| 2 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 108 | 10.7 (8.7 to 12.9) | 142 | 14.5 |
| 3 | Portland-South Portland, ME | 42 | 9.9 (7.1 to 13.7) | 50 | 12.3 |
| 4 | Baton Rouge, LA | 45 | 9.8 (7.1 to 13.2) | 54 | 12.0 |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 168 | 8.3 (7.1 to 9.7) | 216 | 11.1 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh, PA | 159 | 8.3 (7.0 to 9.7) | 192 | 10.3 |
| 7 | Worcester, MA | 43 | 7.9 (5.7 to 10.8) | 48 | 9.0 |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 156 | 7.6 (6.5 to 9.0) | 173 | 8.5 |
| 9 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 287 | 7.5 (6.6 to 8.4) | 356 | 9.6 |
| 10 | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 31 | 7.4 (5.0 to 10.6) | 41 | 10.4 |
| 10 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 40 | 7.4 (5.2 to 10.4) | 41 | 8.2 |
| 12 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 220 | 7.3 (6.4 to 8.4) | 259 | 8.7 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | 37 | 7.3 (5.1 to 10.1) | 40 | 7.5 |
| 14 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 27 | 7.2 (4.7 to 10.6) | 31 | 8.1 |
| 15 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 56 | 7.1 (5.3 to 9.3) | 73 | 9.4 |
| 15 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 35 | 7.1 (4.9 to 10.0) | 41 | 8.4 |
| 15 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 23 | 7.1 (4.5 to 10.8) | 22 | 8.7 |
| 18 | Akron, OH | 34 | 7.0 (4.8 to 9.9) | 45 | 9.5 |
| 19 | Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 67 | 6.9 (5.3 to 8.8) | 91 | 9.5 |
| 20 | Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 41 | 6.8 (4.8 to 9.3) | 43 | 7.4 |
| 21 | Cleveland, OH | 107 | 6.7 (5.5 to 8.2) | 125 | 8.1 |
| 21 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 114 | 6.7 (5.5 to 8.0) | 138 | 8.0 |
| 23 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 73 | 6.6 (5.1 to 8.3) | 97 | 9.1 |
| 23 | Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA | 94 | 6.6 (5.3 to 8.1) | 95 | 6.9 |
| 25 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 31 | 6.5 (4.4 to 9.4) | 34 | 7.9 |
| 25 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 91 | 6.5 (5.2 to 8.0) | 89 | 6.5 |
| 25 | Reno, NV | 21 | 6.5 (4.0 to 10.2) | 21 | 6.7 |
| 28 | Lancaster, PA | 25 | 6.4 (4.1 to 9.6) | 32 | 8.5 |
| 29 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 42 | 6.3 (4.5 to 8.8) | 46 | 7.6 |
| 29 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 24 | 6.3 (4.0 to 9.4) | 29 | 7.6 |
| 31 | Boise City, ID | 27 | 6.2 (4.0 to 9.1) | 38 | 8.8 |
| 31 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | 25 | 6.2 (4.0 to 9.3) | 28 | 7.0 |
| 31 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 333 | 6.2 (5.5 to 6.9) | 413 | 7.7 |
| 31 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 33 | 6.2 (4.2 to 9.0) | 17 | 7.9 |
| 35 | Columbus, OH | 67 | 6.1 (4.7 to 7.7) | 84 | 7.7 |
| 35 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI | 39 | 6.1 (4.3 to 8.4) | 43 | 6.9 |
| 35 | Toledo, OH | 23 | 6.1 (3.8 to 9.3) | 16 | 3.9 |
| 35 | Tulsa, OK | 38 | 6.1 (4.3 to 8.4) | 49 | 8.3 |
| 39 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 21 | 6.0 (3.7 to 9.3) | 28 | 8.3 |
| 39 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 17 | 6.0 (3.5 to 9.7) | 18 | 6.4 |
| 39 | Rochester, NY | 40 | 6.0 (4.3 to 8.3) | 64 | 9.5 |
| 39 | San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 112 | 6.0 (4.9 to 7.2) | 142 | 7.8 |
| 43 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 159 | 5.9 (5.0 to 6.9) | 215 | 8.0 |
| 43 | Jacksonville, FL | 58 | 5.9 (4.5 to 7.7) | 87 | 9.4 |
| 43 | Wichita, KS | 23 | 5.9 (3.7 to 9.0) | Suppressed | Suppressed |
| 46 | Columbia, SC | 26 | 5.7 (3.7 to 8.4) | 21 | 4.9 |
| 46 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 86 | 5.7 (4.6 to 7.1) | 92 | 6.2 |
| 46 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 22 | 5.7 (3.6 to 8.7) | 25 | 6.8 |
| 46 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 32 | 5.7 (3.9 to 8.2) | 32 | 6.1 |
| 46 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 16 | 5.7 (3.2 to 9.4) | 18 | 6.1 |
| 46 | Madison, WI | 22 | 5.7 (3.5 to 8.7) | 21 | 5.6 |
| 52 | Albuquerque, NM | 33 | 5.6 (3.8 to 8.0) | 31 | 5.5 |
| 52 | Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton, PA | 23 | 5.6 (3.5 to 8.6) | 43 | 11.1 |
| 54 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 34 | 5.5 (3.8 to 7.8) | 51 | 9.0 |
| 54 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 170 | 5.5 (4.7 to 6.4) | 260 | 8.2 |
| 54 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 58 | 5.5 (4.1 to 7.5) | 77 | 8.5 |
| 57 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 19 | 5.4 (3.2 to 8.6) | 24 | 6.8 |
| 57 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 91 | 5.4 (4.3 to 6.6) | 116 | 7.0 |
| 57 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 160 | 5.4 (4.6 to 6.3) | 207 | 7.2 |
| 60 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 159 | 5.3 (4.5 to 6.2) | 204 | 7.2 |
| 60 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 133 | 5.3 (4.5 to 6.3) | 179 | 7.6 |
| 62 | Tucson, AZ | 41 | 5.2 (3.7 to 7.2) | 40 | 5.5 |
| 63 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 43 | 5.0 (3.6 to 7.0) | 53 | 7.3 |
| 63 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 20 | 5.0 (3.0 to 7.9) | 24 | 6.1 |
| 63 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 27 | 5.0 (3.3 to 7.3) | 31 | 6.1 |
| 63 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 122 | 5.0 (4.2 to 6.0) | 166 | 7.0 |
| 63 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 64 | 5.0 (3.8 to 6.4) | 81 | 6.4 |
| 68 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 68 | 4.9 (3.8 to 6.3) | 82 | 6.2 |
| 68 | Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN | 50 | 4.9 (3.6 to 6.5) | 53 | 5.1 |
| 68 | Raleigh, NC | 34 | 4.9 (3.4 to 6.9) | 47 | 6.8 |
| 68 | Syracuse, NY | 21 | 4.9 (3.0 to 7.6) | 20 | 4.4 |
| 72 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 30 | 4.8 (3.2 to 7.0) | 44 | 7.4 |
| 72 | Colorado Springs, CO | 17 | 4.8 (2.7 to 7.7) | 22 | 6.2 |
| 72 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 168 | 4.8 (4.1 to 5.6) | 202 | 5.8 |
| 72 | Knoxville, TN | 30 | 4.8 (3.3 to 7.0) | 39 | 6.4 |
| 76 | Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN | 38 | 4.7 (3.3 to 6.5) | 47 | 6.0 |
| 77 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 21 | 4.6 (2.8 to 7.2) | 22 | 4.8 |
| 78 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 49 | 4.5 (3.3 to 5.9) | 65 | 6.1 |
| 78 | Winston-Salem, NC | 20 | 4.5 (2.7 to 7.1) | 24 | 5.6 |
| 80 | Bakersfield, CA | 16 | 4.4 (2.5 to 7.1) | 18 | 4.4 |
| 80 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | 20 | 4.4 (2.7 to 6.9) | 27 | 6.0 |
| 80 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 56 | 4.4 (3.3 to 5.8) | Suppressed | Suppressed |
| 80 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 55 | 4.4 (3.3 to 5.7) | 88 | 7.2 |
| 84 | Fresno, CA | 25 | 4.2 (2.7 to 6.3) | 40 | 7.1 |
| 84 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 316 | 4.2 (3.8 to 4.7) | 462 | 6.4 |
| 84 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 513 | 4.2 (3.8 to 4.6) | 819 | 6.9 |
| 87 | Austin-Round Rock, TX | 38 | 4.0 (2.8 to 5.5) | 52 | 5.5 |
| 87 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 55 | 4.0 (3.0 to 5.3) | 79 | 6.2 |
| 87 | Richmond, VA | 31 | 4.0 (2.7 to 5.7) | 49 | 6.5 |
| 87 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 131 | 4.0 (3.3 to 4.7) | 166 | 5.0 |
| 91 | Dayton-Kettering, OH | 21 | 3.9 (2.4 to 6.0) | 23 | 4.2 |
| 91 | El Paso, TX | 17 | 3.9 (2.3 to 6.3) | 35 | 8.3 |
| 91 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 60 | 3.9 (3.0 to 5.0) | 90 | 6.0 |
| 94 | Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 26 | 3.7 (2.4 to 5.5) | 40 | 5.6 |
| 94 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 26 | 3.7 (2.4 to 5.4) | 26 | 3.7 |
| 96 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 39 | 3.6 (2.6 to 5.0) | 57 | 5.4 |
| 97 | Oklahoma City, OK | 26 | 3.5 (2.3 to 5.2) | 32 | 4.4 |
| 98 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 89 | 3.1 (2.5 to 3.8) | 127 | 4.3 |
| 98 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 145 | 3.1 (2.6 to 3.7) | 252 | 5.8 |
| 98 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 23 | 3.1 (1.9 to 4.7) | 25 | 3.3 |
How to read these numbers
- Rates are per 1,000,000 people per year, not per 100,000, because mesothelioma is rare. CDC WONDER rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population, so states with older populations can be compared fairly with younger ones.
- The state is where the person lived when they were diagnosed or died, not where the asbestos exposure happened. Many people were exposed decades earlier in another state, at a shipyard, in the military, or at a plant.
- Small numbers swing. A state or county with few cases can move up or down the list from one period to the next. CDC WONDER suppresses counts under 16 to protect privacy, which is why some places show no number.
- Two different data systems. CDC WONDER's U.S. Cancer Statistics count mesothelioma as the underlying cause of death (or a new diagnosis). The NIOSH tables count deaths where mesothelioma appears anywhere on the death certificate, for people age 15 and over, in 1999 to 2004 or 2000 to 2004. The two sets of rates are not directly comparable.
- These statistics describe populations. They cannot tell you your own risk. If you were exposed to asbestos, talk with your doctor.
Related data
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Sources
- United States Cancer Statistics on CDC WONDER: mortality 2018-2023 and incidence 1999-2022 (CDC and NCI; queried October 28, 2026)
- About U.S. Cancer Statistics (CDC)
- Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report 2007, Section 7: malignant mesothelioma (NIOSH, DHHS publication 2008-143)
- Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report 2007, full text (CDC Stacks)