How do lung cancer death rates differ by geographic region?
The report shows substantial variation in lung cancer death rates across states and geographic regions, particularly among women. Similar to incidence rates, the lowest mortality was found in Utah (33.7 per 100,000 men and 16.9 per 100,000 women), and the highest mortality was found in Kentucky (111.5 per 100,000 men and 55.9 per 100,000 women). Among men, while the lung cancer death rate has been decreasing nationally since the 1990s, the rate of decrease has varied substantially across states and geographic regions. In California, for example, the average percentage decrease from 1996 through 2005 was about 2.8 percent per year, which is twice as much as in many states in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The lung cancer death rate among men decreased in 43 of the 50 States and in the District of Columbia from 1996 through 2005. In contrast, the death rate among women decreased in only three states (California, New Jersey, and Texas) and increased in 13 States (Alabama, Arka
