Mesothelioma rates by state
How often mesothelioma is diagnosed and how many people die from it differs widely from state to state. This table ranks every state using the official U.S. Cancer Statistics on CDC WONDER.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
In short
- Alaska, Maine, and Minnesota had the highest age-adjusted mesothelioma death rates in 2019 to 2023.
- Nationally, CDC WONDER reports 11,448 mesothelioma deaths in 2019 to 2023, about 5.6 per million people per year.
- Rates show where people lived at diagnosis or death, not where they were exposed to asbestos.
- Rates are age-adjusted and per 1,000,000 people; small states can change rank from year to year.
The states with the highest death rates
These are the five states with the highest age-adjusted mesothelioma death rates for 2019 to 2023 in CDC WONDER's U.S. Cancer Statistics:
- Alaska: 10.5 deaths per million per year (33 deaths)
- Maine: 8.9 deaths per million per year (94 deaths)
- Minnesota: 8.4 deaths per million per year (294 deaths)
- Delaware: 8.2 deaths per million per year (58 deaths)
- Washington: 7.7 deaths per million per year (337 deaths)
For the United States as a whole, CDC WONDER reports 11,448 mesothelioma deaths in 2019 to 2023, an age-adjusted rate of 5.6 per million per year (95% confidence interval 5.5 to 5.7). Several states with high rates are home to shipyards, mines, or plants that agencies have documented as asbestos sources, but the data themselves do not say why a rate is high. Our state guides name documented sites with sources.
All states, ranked by death rate
States are ranked by the 2019 to 2023 age-adjusted death rate. The 95% confidence interval shows the range the true rate likely falls in; when two states' ranges overlap, their difference may not be meaningful. The District of Columbia's counts are suppressed. State names link to our state guide where one is published; you can sort by finding a state with your browser's find feature.
| Rank | State | Deaths, 2019-2023 | Death rate (95% CI) | New cases, 2018-2022 | Incidence rate | NIOSH death rate, 1999-2004 (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 33 | 10.5 (7.1 to 14.9) | 43 | 13.6 | 21.66 (1) |
| 2 | Maine | 94 | 8.9 (7.2 to 11.0) | 120 | 11.6 | 21.38 (2) |
| 3 | Minnesota | 294 | 8.4 (7.5 to 9.5) | 370 | 10.9 | 14.86 (9) |
| 4 | Delaware | 58 | 8.2 (6.2 to 10.7) | 68 | 10.1 | 16.57 (5) |
| 5 | Washington | 337 | 7.7 (6.9 to 8.6) | 381 | 8.8 | 17.52 (4) |
| 6 | Louisiana | 209 | 7.5 (6.5 to 8.6) | 279 | 10.3 | 13.91 (16) |
| 6 | Montana | 54 | 7.5 (5.6 to 9.9) | 64 | 9.3 | 15.07 (8) |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 71 | 7.3 (5.7 to 9.3) | 89 | 9.4 | 14.76 (10) |
| 9 | Idaho | 79 | 7.2 (5.7 to 9.0) | 84 | 7.8 | 11.55 (24) |
| 9 | Oregon | 198 | 7.2 (6.2 to 8.3) | 184 | 6.8 | 15.35 (7) |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 277 | 7.1 (6.3 to 8.0) | 357 | 9.4 | 14.58 (12) |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 51 | 7.0 (5.2 to 9.3) | 72 | 10.4 | 11.80 (22) |
| 12 | Wyoming | 25 | 7.0 (4.5 to 10.5) | 25 | 6.7 | 19.07 (3) |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 309 | 6.9 (6.1 to 7.7) | 358 | 8.1 | 14.73 (11) |
| 15 | Michigan | 437 | 6.8 (6.1 to 7.5) | 500 | 7.9 | 11.85 (21) |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 613 | 6.7 (6.1 to 7.2) | 754 | 8.5 | 14.25 (15) |
| 16 | Utah | 92 | 6.7 (5.4 to 8.2) | 102 | 7.4 | 11.98 (20) |
| 18 | South Dakota | 34 | 6.3 (4.3 to 8.9) | 31 | 5.7 | 8.37 (45) |
| 18 | Virginia | 330 | 6.3 (5.6 to 7.1) | 420 | 8.3 | 14.42 (14) |
| 20 | Illinois | 469 | 6.1 (5.5 to 6.6) | 586 | 7.7 | 13.19 (18) |
| 20 | Indiana | 245 | 6.1 (5.3 to 6.9) | 300 | 7.6 | 11.53 (25) |
| 20 | North Dakota | 29 | 6.1 (4.1 to 8.9) | 37 | 7.8 | 11.06 (27) |
| 20 | Ohio | 471 | 6.1 (5.6 to 6.7) | 551 | 7.3 | 12.73 (19) |
| 20 | West Virginia | 78 | 6.1 (4.8 to 7.7) | 124 | 9.6 | 14.56 (13) |
| 25 | New Jersey | 348 | 6.0 (5.4 to 6.7) | 535 | 9.5 | 15.81 (6) |
| 26 | Colorado | 183 | 5.9 (5.1 to 6.9) | 213 | 7.0 | 9.46 (37) |
| 26 | Nebraska | 66 | 5.9 (4.5 to 7.5) | 81 | 7.3 | 11.36 (26) |
| 26 | South Carolina | 206 | 5.9 (5.1 to 6.8) | 235 | 7.2 | 9.25 (39) |
| 29 | Iowa | 116 | 5.5 (4.6 to 6.7) | 145 | 7.1 | 9.50 (35) |
| 30 | Arizona | 264 | 5.4 (4.7 to 6.1) | 326 | 7.1 | 8.98 (40) |
| 31 | Arkansas | 102 | 5.3 (4.3 to 6.4) | 111 | 5.9 | 5.55 (51) |
| 32 | California | 1,160 | 5.2 (4.9 to 5.5) | 1,503 | 6.9 | 10.53 (29) |
| 32 | Connecticut | 126 | 5.2 (4.3 to 6.2) | 171 | 7.0 | 11.76 (23) |
| 32 | Missouri | 207 | 5.2 (4.5 to 6.0) | 264 | 6.8 | 9.83 (32) |
| 32 | New Mexico | 71 | 5.2 (4.0 to 6.6) | 76 | 5.8 | 9.58 (33) |
| 32 | Vermont | 25 | 5.2 (3.3 to 7.9) | 23 | 4.9 | 9.33 (38) |
| 37 | Florida | 855 | 4.9 (4.6 to 5.2) | 1,147 | 7.0 | 10.28 (31) |
| 37 | Kansas | 86 | 4.9 (3.9 to 6.1) | 102 | 5.9 | 10.32 (30) |
| 37 | Nevada | 88 | 4.9 (3.9 to 6.0) | 124 | 7.1 | 10.83 (28) |
| 37 | Texas | 704 | 4.9 (4.5 to 5.3) | 1,013 | 7.1 | 9.47 (36) |
| 41 | Kentucky | 133 | 4.8 (4.0 to 5.7) | 168 | 6.3 | 8.67 (42) |
| 42 | New York | 603 | 4.7 (4.4 to 5.1) | 868 | 7.0 | 9.57 (34) |
| 42 | Tennessee | 205 | 4.7 (4.1 to 5.4) | 229 | 5.4 | 8.59 (43) |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 110 | 4.6 (3.8 to 5.6) | 142 | 6.2 | 8.21 (46) |
| 45 | Mississippi | 83 | 4.5 (3.6 to 5.7) | 118 | 6.7 | 7.67 (47) |
| 45 | North Carolina | 284 | 4.5 (3.9 to 5.0) | 396 | 6.4 | 8.56 (44) |
| 47 | Maryland | 160 | 4.3 (3.7 to 5.1) | 216 | 6.0 | 13.41 (17) |
| 48 | Alabama | 120 | 3.7 (3.1 to 4.4) | 170 | 5.3 | 8.74 (41) |
| 48 | Georgia | 211 | 3.7 (3.3 to 4.3) | 279 | 5.0 | 6.87 (49) |
| 50 | Hawaii | 39 | 3.6 (2.6 to 5.0) | 37 | 3.5 | 7.07 (48) |
| – | District of Columbia | Suppressed | Suppressed | Suppressed | Suppressed | 6.70 (50) |
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.
What the older NIOSH figures show
NIOSH's 2007 lung disease surveillance report ranked states by mesothelioma deaths in 1999 to 2004. The states with the most deaths then were California (1,508), Florida (1,060), Pennsylvania (1,010), New York (893), Texas (790). Large states lead on counts because they have more people; the rate columns above adjust for that.
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)