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Mortality – Premature Death

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This indicator reports the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) before age 75 per 100,000 population for all causes of death. Figures are reported as rates age-adjusted to year 2000 standard. YPLL measures premature death and is calculated by subtracting the age of death from the 75 year benchmark. Data were from the National Center for Health Statistics – Mortality Files (2020-2022) and are used for the 2025 County Health Rankings. This indicator is relevant because a measure of premature death can provide a unique and comprehensive look at overall health status.
Note: Data are suppressed for counties with fewer than 20 deaths in the three-year time frame.

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC – National Vital Statistics System, 2020-2022.
Accessed via County Health Rankings.

Source Description

The Division of Vital Statistics is a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) responsible for maintaining birth and death records for the nation. Data are compiled for the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) through a joint effort between the NCHS and various state and local health agencies, who are responsible for registering vital events – births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and fetal deaths. NVSS statistics are released annually in various data warehouses, including CDC WONDER , VitalStats, and the Health Indicator Warehouse .

Methodology

Years of potential life lost (YPLL) data are acquired from the University of Wisconsin’s County Health Rankings (CHR). Potential life lost is defined by CHR as a death occurring before the age of 75. CHR uses 2020-2022 three-year averages from the National Vital Statistic System (NVSS) as the basis for their calculation. NVSS data are compiled from state death records and maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Age-stratified NVSS data are used to calculate the total years of potential life lost to all persons under age 75, by county, using the following formula:

YPLL = [ 75 * (Number of Deaths Under Age 75) ] – [ SUM (Age at Death) ]

To further illustrate, a person dying at age 50 would contribute 25 years of life lost to the YPLL index. YPLL is age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. population to allow comparison between counties and is reported as a rate per 100,000 people. For more information, please review the County Health Rankings Premature Death indicator information.

Data Breakouts Available

  • Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) per 100,000 Population by Race / Ethnicity
  • Premature Death – Years of Potential Life Lost by Time Period, 1998-2000 through 2020-2022
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