Health
Heart disease claims 610,000 American lives—accounting for about one in every four deaths—each year. Find out how your home state measures up.
Most: West Virginia
West Virginia ranks tenth worst in the country when it comes to rates of heart disease-related deaths. Around 192 deaths out of every 100,000 people in West Virginia were due to deadly heart attacks in 2017, according data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The national rate of heart disease deaths, by comparison, was just 165. The CDC report also found that more than 35 percent of adult West Virginians are obese, one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease.
Most: Kentucky
Kentucky Fried Chicken got its start in—you guessed it—Kentucky. Believe it or not, this U.S. state has been known for its crispy chicken for over 75 years. But the fried food’s popularity could spell trouble for locals in the state, which ranks ninth worst for death rate due to heart disease: According to the CDC, just under 196 deaths per 100,000 Kentuckians were caused by heart disease in 2017.
Most: Michigan
The CDC estimates that 196 out of 100,000 deaths in Michigan were linked to heart disease in 2017, putting it eighth on the list for deadly heart disease. Judging from a 2018 study by WalletHub—which named Michigan’s largest city Detroit “the most stressed city in America” due to high poverty and divorce rates—soaring stress levels might have played a part. Learn more about the most (and least) stressed cities in America.