What age categories are used for age-adjusted rates?
Only age groups that fall within the age range specified in the query are used to calculate an age-adjusted rate. The “total population” for a query is the sum of the populations of each age group included in that query. For example, if an age-adjusted rate is requested for 45-74 year olds, then the total population is the sum of the 45-54 year olds, 55-64 year olds, and 65-74 year old populations. For the 1940, 1970 and 2000 standard populations, the possible age groups are: less than 1 year, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-34, ….85 years and over. If the user specifies a “non-standard” population for use in age-adjustment, the possible age groups are: less than 1 year, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-34, ….85 years and over. Note that age groups differ from the age groups used for “standard” years, affecting the classification of deaths in the age range from 5 years to 24 years of age. See Age Adjustment of Death Rates for more information.
