In 2021:
People living in 28 states and the District of Columbia had a higher risk of dying in a fire than the general population.
Alaska, the District of Columbia and Mississippi residents had the highest risk of dying in a fire.
People living in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah had the lowest risk of dying in a fire.
Relative risk of dying in a fire by state (2021)
Sources: National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau
2021 fire deaths, fire death rates and relative risk by state
| State of Occurrence | Fire Deaths | Fire Death Rate (per million population) | Relative Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 120 | 23.8 | 1.8 |
| Alaska | 24 | 32.7 | 2.5 |
| Arizona | 80 | 11.0 | 0.8 |
| Arkansas | 85 | 28.1 | 2.2 |
| California | 320 | 8.2 | 0.6 |
| Colorado | 60 | 10.3 | 0.8 |
| Connecticut | 29 | 8.0 | 0.6 |
| Delaware | * | * | * |
| District of Columbia | 28 | 41.9 | 3.2 |
| Florida | 179 | 8.2 | 0.6 |
| Georgia | 172 | 15.9 | 1.2 |
| Hawaii | * | * | * |
| Idaho | 28 | 14.7 | 1.1 |
| Illinois | 176 | 13.9 | 1.1 |
| Indiana | 101 | 14.8 | 1.1 |
| Iowa | 37 | 11.6 | 0.9 |
| Kansas | 38 | 12.9 | 1.0 |
| Kentucky | 81 | 18.0 | 1.4 |
| Louisiana | 89 | 19.2 | 1.5 |
| Maine | 27 | 19.6 | 1.5 |
| Maryland | 51 | 8.3 | 0.6 |
| Massachusetts | 43 | 6.2 | 0.5 |
| Michigan | 147 | 14.6 | 1.1 |
| Minnesota | 66 | 11.6 | 0.9 |
| Mississippi | 100 | 33.9 | 2.6 |
| Missouri | 131 | 21.2 | 1.6 |
| Montana | 23 | 20.8 | 1.6 |
| Nebraska | 28 | 14.3 | 1.1 |
| Nevada | 43 | 13.7 | 1.1 |
| New Hampshire** | 11 | 7.9 | 0.6 |
| New Jersey | 58 | 6.3 | 0.5 |
| New Mexico | 40 | 18.9 | 1.5 |
| New York | 205 | 10.3 | 0.8 |
| North Carolina | 173 | 16.4 | 1.3 |
| North Dakota | * | * | * |
| Ohio | 184 | 15.6 | 1.2 |
| Oklahoma | 111 | 27.8 | 2.1 |
| Oregon | 78 | 18.3 | 1.4 |
| Pennsylvania | 224 | 17.2 | 1.3 |
| Rhode Island** | 17 | 15.5 | 1.2 |
| South Carolina | 81 | 15.6 | 1.2 |
| South Dakota** | 15 | 16.7 | 1.3 |
| Tennessee | 151 | 21.7 | 1.7 |
| Texas | 302 | 10.2 | 0.8 |
| Utah | 22 | 6.6 | 0.5 |
| Vermont | * | * | * |
| Virginia | 94 | 10.9 | 0.8 |
| Washington | 87 | 11.2 | 0.9 |
| West Virginia | 48 | 26.9 | 2.1 |
| Wisconsin | 69 | 11.7 | 0.9 |
| Wyoming** | 13 | 22.4 | 1.7 |
| United States | 4,316 | 13.0 | 1.0 |
Notes:
- Fire death rates are based on all deaths in which exposure to fire, fire products or explosion was the underlying cause of death or was a contributing factor in the chain of events leading to death. Specifically, ICD 10 Codes: F63.1, W39-W40, X00-X09, X75-X76, X96-X97, Y25-Y26, and Y35.1 were extracted for this analysis, resulting in a total of 4,316 fire deaths.
- The fire death rates presented here reflect the crude death rates and are not age adjusted. The crude death rate is the total number of fire deaths per state divided by the total population per state and multiplied by 1,000,000. These crude death rates should not be used for comparisons between states due to the significant impact of age in mortality data and different age distributions in different state populations.
- * Indicates states where fire death rates and relative risk were not computed due to very small numbers of fire deaths (fewer than 10 deaths).
- ** Fire death rates should be used with caution due to small numbers of deaths. Per the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 60, No. 4, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2010,” a rate or percentage is based on at least 20 deaths. Rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are considered highly variable.
Sources:
- NCHS. 2021 Mortality Data File, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. July 1, 2021, population estimates from the table Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-POP). Release date: December 2022.