SCHS: 2023 North Carolina Vital Statistics, Volume 2: Leading Causes of Death

North Carolina Vital Statistics, Volume 2: Leading Causes of Death describes North Carolina's total and cause-specific deaths at the state and county level. More than a dozen of North Carolina's leading causes of death are depicted in tables and maps. In addition, major site-specific cancer deaths and total infant deaths are tabulated and mapped.

This edition includes the number of deaths and unadjusted death rates for 2023 and the number of deaths and unadjusted and age-adjusted death rates for 2019-2023. Beginning in 1999, causes of death were coded using the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).

NC Residents Leading Causes of Death: Tables

• Table A: Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, 2023 (PDF, 180 KB)
• Table B: Leading Causes of Death by Race, 2023 (PDF, 175 KB)
• Table C: Leading Causes of Death by Sex, 2023 and Table D: Leading Causes of Death by Hispanicity, 2023 (PDF, 159 KB)
• Table E: North Carolina Resident Mortality Statistics Summary, 2019–2023, and Table F: North Carolina Resident Sex-Specific Mortality Statistics Summary, 2019-2023 (PDF, 168 KB)
• Appendix A - Appendix D (PDF, 620 KB): Comparability ratios for the major causes of death and the lists of selected causes of death used in Tables A-F.
• Appendix E: Age-Adjusted Death Rates Statistical Primer (PDF, 6.8 MB): A technical publication on age-adjusted death rates.
• Technical Notes (PDF, 408 KB): An explanation of the computation and interpretation of cause-specific death rates and a caution about the use of rates.

Cause of Death County Data Tables

Cause of Death County Maps

• Statistics and Reports
  • Vital Statistics
    • Vital Statistics Data
      • Vital Statistics Volume 2: Leading Causes of Death
    • Archived Reports
    • Health Atlas

Last Modified: August 20, 2025