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Leading Causes of Death
By Race/Ethnicity
Los Angeles County
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Data for 2017 unless other noted
ALL RACES
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
11,211 |
103 |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
51,515 |
N/A(4) |
2. Alzheimer's Disease |
4,179 |
39 |
2. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
27,743 |
N/A(4) |
3. Stroke |
3,749 |
35 |
3. Suicide |
26,016 |
N/A(4) |
4. COPD |
2,927 |
28 |
4. Motor Vehicle Crash |
25,915 |
N/A(4) |
5. Diabetes Mellitus |
2,658 |
25 |
5. Homicide |
24,769 |
N/A(4) |
6. Lung Cancer |
2,556 |
24 |
6. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
21,604 |
N/A(4) |
7. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
1,957 |
18 |
7. Diabetes Mellitus |
19,102 |
N/A(4) |
8. Colorectal Cancer |
1,449 |
13 |
8. Stroke |
16,085 |
N/A(4) |
9. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
1,412 |
13 |
9. Lung Cancer |
13,427 |
N/A(4) |
10. Hypertensive heart Disease |
1,402 |
13 |
10. Breast Cancer |
12,224 |
N/A(4) |
AMERICAN INDIANS/ ALASKA NATIVES (2014-2017(5))
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
116 |
N/A(4) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
693 |
N/A(4) |
2. Stroke |
40 |
N/A(4) |
2. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
499 |
N/A(4) |
3. Diabetes Mellitus |
38 |
N/A(4) |
3. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
431 |
N/A(4) |
4. Alzheimer's Disease |
34 |
N/A(4) |
4. Diabetes Mellitus |
409 |
N/A(4) |
5. Lung Cancer |
33 |
N/A(4) |
5. Suicide |
355 |
N/A(4) |
6. COPD |
31 |
N/A(4) |
6. Hypertension |
248 |
N/A(4) |
7. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
29 |
N/A(4) |
7. Lung Cancer |
245 |
N/A(4) |
8. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
25 |
N/A(4) |
8. Homicide |
237 |
N/A(4) |
9. Drug overdose (Unintentional) |
18 |
N/A(4) |
9. Breast Cancer |
185 |
N/A(4) |
10. Hypertensive heart Disease |
17 |
N/A(4) |
10. Stroke |
182 |
N/A(4) |
ASIAN
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
1,491 |
75 |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
4,450 |
232 |
2. Stroke |
625 |
32 |
2. Suicide |
3,208 |
221 |
3. Lung Cancer |
447 |
23 |
3. Lung Cancer |
2,457 |
123 |
4. Alzheimer's Disease |
431 |
21 |
4. Breast Cancer |
2,270 |
129 |
5. Diabetes Mellitus |
411 |
21 |
5. Stroke |
2,171 |
115 |
6. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
382 |
19 |
6. Diabetes Mellitus |
1,920 |
105 |
7. COPD |
277 |
14 |
7. Colorectal Cancer |
1,683 |
88 |
8. Colorectal Cancer |
223 |
11 |
8. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
1,554 |
105 |
9. Renal failure |
217 |
11 |
9. Malignant Neoplasms of Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Ducts |
1,406 |
70 |
10. Hypertensive heart Disease |
216 |
11 |
10. Motor Vehicle Crash |
1,285 |
81 |
BLACK
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
1,556 |
158 |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
10,825 |
987 |
2. Stroke |
497 |
53 |
2. Homicide |
7,032 |
829 |
3. Diabetes Mellitus |
405 |
42 |
3. Motor Vehicle Crash |
4,204 |
479 |
4. Alzheimer's Disease |
399 |
46 |
4. Diabetes Mellitus |
3,410 |
342 |
5. COPD |
384 |
40 |
5. Stroke |
3,099 |
316 |
6. Lung Cancer |
372 |
37 |
6. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
2,973 |
319 |
7. Hypertensive heart Disease |
233 |
24 |
7. Lung Cancer |
2,571 |
226 |
8. Hypertension |
223 |
23 |
8. Hypertensive Heart Disease |
2,245 |
221 |
9. Renal failure |
218 |
23 |
9. Suicide |
2,109 |
251 |
10. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
211 |
22 |
10. Breast Cancer |
1,896 |
189 |
LATINO
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
2,597 |
81 |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
15,941 |
341 |
2. Diabetes Mellitus |
1,055 |
31 |
2. Homicide |
14,765 |
266 |
3. Stroke |
1,043 |
33 |
3. Motor Vehicle Crash |
14,618 |
266 |
4. Alzheimer's Disease |
875 |
31 |
4. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
12,992 |
272 |
5. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
793 |
19 |
5. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
10,230 |
197 |
6. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
485 |
16 |
6. Suicide |
10,159 |
185 |
7. COPD |
471 |
16 |
7. Diabetes Mellitus |
8,970 |
190 |
8. Renal failure |
433 |
13 |
8. Stroke |
6,930 |
147 |
9. Lung Cancer |
424 |
14 |
9. Colorectal Cancer |
4,428 |
95 |
10. Motor Vehicle Crash |
412 |
9 |
10. Breast Cancer |
4,284 |
90 |
NATIVE HAWAIIAN & OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDERS (2014-2017(5))
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
152 |
N/A(4) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
1,424 |
N/A(4) |
2. Diabetes Mellitus |
52 |
N/A(4) |
2. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period |
750 |
N/A(4) |
3. Lung Cancer |
41 |
N/A(4) |
3. Homicide |
667 |
N/A(4) |
4. Stroke |
37 |
N/A(4) |
4. Diabetes Mellitus |
480 |
N/A(4) |
5. Breast Cancer |
25 |
N/A(4) |
5. Breast Cancer |
370 |
N/A(4) |
5. Colorectal Cancer |
25 |
N/A(4) |
6. Lung Cancer |
346 |
N/A(4) |
7. Alzheimer's Disease |
23 |
N/A(4) |
7. Colorectal Cancer |
317 |
N/A(4) |
8. COPD |
21 |
N/A(4) |
8. Motor Vehicle Crash |
302 |
N/A(4) |
9. Homicide |
16 |
N/A(4) |
9. Stroke |
266 |
N/A(4) |
10. Hypertensive heart Disease |
14 |
N/A(4) |
10. Suicide |
264 |
N/A(4) |
WHITE
Leading Causes of Death |
Leading Causes of Premature* Death |
Rank & Cause |
# of Deaths |
AAMR(1) |
Rank & Cause |
YPLL(2) |
YPLL AAR(3) |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
5,497 |
117 |
1. Coronary Heart Disease |
19,804 |
474 |
2. Alzheimer's Disease |
2,458 |
48 |
2. Drug Overdose (Unintentional) |
12,692 |
454 |
3. COPD |
1,781 |
38 |
3. Suicide |
10,429 |
366 |
4. Stroke |
1,560 |
33 |
4. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis |
5,903 |
166 |
5. Lung Cancer |
1,292 |
29 |
5. Lung Cancer |
5,889 |
133 |
6. Pneumonia/ Influenza |
874 |
18 |
6. Motor Vehicle Crash |
5,708 |
216 |
7. Diabetes Mellitus |
766 |
17 |
7. Diabetes Mellitus |
4,554 |
122 |
8. Colorectal Cancer |
622 |
14 |
8. Stroke |
3,716 |
101 |
9. Hypertension |
568 |
12 |
9. COPD |
3,667 |
81 |
10. Hypertensive heart Disease |
529 |
11 |
10. Breast Cancer |
3,622 |
98 |
* Premature death is death that occurs before age 75.
1) Age-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 using 2000 U.S. Standard Population.
2) YPLL - "Years of Potential Life Lost Before Age 75." If it is expected that everyone lives to at least age 75, people who die younger are considered to have died prematurely. To measure this, L.A. County Dept. of Public Health (Public Health) uses "Years of Potential Life Lost, Before Age 75." For example, someone who died at age 63 is measured as having lost 12 years of expected life, whereas, someone who died at age 80 is measured as having lost no additional years of expected life. For deaths during the year, Public Health calculated years of expected life lost for all who died before age 75. By adding up the total years of potential life lost for each cause of death, Public Health identified the leading causes of premature death.
3) Age-adjusted rate for Years of Potential Life Lost.
4) Data not available for this racial/ethnic group.
5) Because of the small number of annual deaths among persons in this racial/ethnic group, 2014 to 2017 numbers were combined.
Source: >Los Angeles County Department of Public Health