Cardiovascular Health Indicator
Measure: Stroke Death Rate

Analysis

As shown in Table 1 below, the death rate due to stroke has declined since 2007, and it is now the fifth-leading cause of death in Minnesota. As recently as 2010, it was the third-leading cause of death in the state, but has fallen below Accidental Injury which has rising death rates. In addition, COVID-19 became the third-leading cause of death in 2020. The age-adjusted death rate for stroke for men and women is similar. More women die of stroke than men, but usually at an older age, which explains the similar death rate. Total stroke deaths were lowest in 2009 and have risen slightly in the years since. Chart 1 shows the pattern in total number of deaths and for women (green) and men (blue) since 2007. Even though the number of deaths has increased slightly, death rates have remained relatively stable. This can be explained by our aging population, with the number of older people who are at a risk of dying from stroke also increasing each year.

Table 1: Total Deaths and Death Rate due to Stroke for all Minnesotans and by sex, 2007-2021

Chart 1: Total Deaths due to Stroke for all Minnesotans and by sex, 2007-2021

Despite Minnesota’s overall lower stroke death rate compared to the United States (16% lower in 2021), there are large disparities in the state. As shown in Chart 2 and Table 2, the death rate due to stroke is highest in Asian/Pacific Islander, African American/African-Born, and American Indian communities in Minnesota and lowest in Latinx/Hispanic communities. The last column of Table 2 shows a rate ratio, which compares two rates to describe how much one group is impacted compared to another. Any number larger than 1 means that the group of interest is higher than the comparison group. Any number smaller than 1 means the group of interest is lower than the comparison group. Asians/Pacific Islander, African American/African Born, and American Indian Minnesotans die from stroke at rates approximately 30-40% higher than Minnesotans overall. Stroke death rates for Latinx/Hispanic Minnesotans are 50% lower than the Minnesota average. These disparities in deaths are rooted in historical inequities that have persisted in the United States and Minnesota for many years.

Chart 2: Death Rate due to Stroke by Race and Ethnicity, 2018-2021

Table 2: Total Deaths and Death Rate due to Stroke by Race and Ethnicity, 2018-2021

*The method for categorizing people by race changed in 2021. Comparison to data from prior dashboard releases is not recommended.

The number of deaths due to stroke increases in older age groups. Table 3 shows the number of deaths and death rate due to stroke between 2008-2011 and 2018-2021. Over that period, the largest declines in death rates have been for Minnesotans aged 65 and older, as shown in Chart 3. For Minnesotans aged 35-54 there have been small increases in death rates, while for Minnesotans ages 55-64, death rates have increased by more than 25%.

Table 3: Total Deaths and Death Rate due to Stroke by Age Group, 2008-2021

Chart 3: Percent change in Death Rate due to Stroke by Age Group, from 2008-2011 to 2018-2021

Other Resources

• CDC Wonder Online Mortality Database
  These data are population based and include all deaths and allows users to look at multiple causes of death. Users can group data by cause of death, age, sex, race, ethnicity, county, year, and some additional characteristics. Minnesota can be compared against other states.
• Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease & Stroke
  Online mapping tool from CDC with health indicators (including mortality and hospitalizations), risk factors, social and economic data, health care delivery, insurance, and health care costs data for states and counties. Some census tract data is also available.

Data Source

Annual death records from 2006 to the present were obtained from the CDC Wonder Online Mortality Database

Measure Definition

Since 1999, stroke deaths are identified as the underlying cause of death on death certificates as ICD-10: I60-I69. This includes ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and other cerebrovascular diseases.