Mortality in Louisiana
- Louisiana Population: 4,648,794 (25th highest)
- Population Density: 107.53 per square mile (25th most dense)
- Median Age: 37.8 (13th youngest)
- Deaths Per Year: 46,048
- Annual Deaths Per 100,000: 988.2
- Life Expectancy at Birth: 75.6
- Fertility Rate (births per 1,000 women age 15-44): 63.9 (7th highest rate)
Leading Causes of Death in Louisiana
| Cause of Death | Deaths Per Year | Deaths Per 100,000 | National Rank |
| Heart Disease
|
11,302 | 207.8 | 5th |
| Cancer
|
9,485 | 168.1 | 5th |
| Accidents (includes vehicle accidents)
|
2,916 | 62.3 | 9th |
| Stroke
|
2,386 | 44.1 | 4th |
| Alzheimer’s Disease
|
2,165 | 41.4 | 5th |
| Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases (e.g., emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma)
|
2,155 | 38.6 | 28th |
| Diabetes
|
1,458 | 26.5 | 7th |
| Septicemia
|
1,103 | 20.2 | 1st |
| Kidney Disease
|
1,055 | 19.4 | 2nd |
| Pneumonia + Flu (nephritis, nephrosis, nephrotic syndrome)
|
656 | 12.1 | 27th |
| Liver Disease / Cirrhosis
|
509 | 9.2 | 41st |
| Suicide
|
704 | 15 | 30th |
| Drug Overdose
|
1,267 | 28.3 | 15th |
| Homicide
|
650 | 14.7 | 2nd |
Population Statistics
Although Louisiana has the nation’s 7th highest fertility rate (tied with Hawaii), Louisiana’s 2.5% rate of population growth between 2010 and 2019 was less than half the overall U.S. rate.
Adjusted for population age, Louisiana has the nation’s 8th highest mortality rate, and Louisiana’s average life expectancy of 75.6 years is tied with Arkansas and Oklahoma for 6th
Louisiana’s infant mortality rate of 8.1 per 1,000 live births is the 2nd highest among U.S. states (behind Mississippi). Louisiana also has the 2nd highest rates of low birthweight and preterm births.
Health Conditions
Louisiana is among the 5 states with the highest mortality rates for multiple health-related causes of death—including heart disease (5th), cancer (5th), kidney disease (2nd), and stroke (4th). Louisiana has the nation’s highest rate of deaths due to septicemia (blood poisoning illnesses) and is 5th highest for Alzheimer’s deaths.
Louisiana’s rate of liver disease deaths is 10th lowest among U.S. states, and—with just 5.7 hypertension-related deaths per 100,000 population—Louisiana has the 5th lowest rate in the country (behind New Mexico, New Hampshire, Wyoming, and Montana).
For these reasons and more, we here at IBUSA will typically try to help applicants from Louisiana first qualify for term life insurance with no exam.
For those that won’t be able to qualify for such a policy, getting life insurance with a top company requiring a medical exam is still a viable option.
Finally, some people with pre-existing conditions may need to consider final expense insurance as an alternative.
Homicide Rates
Only Mississippi has a homicide rate higher than Louisiana’s 14.7 per 100,000. From 2014 through 2017, Louisiana’s homicide rate was the nation’s highest. Two of Louisiana’s largest cities—Baton Rouge and New Orleans—have the 6th and 7th highest murder rates among U.S. cities, respectively.
Covid
With 255 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 through, August, 2021, Louisiana has the 6th highest rate of COVID deaths in the country.
Workplace
Louisiana’s 6.2 occupational deaths per 100,000 workers is the highest rate in the South and ties New Mexico for 6th highest nationally (behind Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana, and West Virginia). Additionally, Louisiana’s overall rate of accidental deaths is about 20% above the national rate which is why we’ll often recommend that our clients at least consider purchasing an additional accidental death policy as a way to supplement any traditional life insurance coverage they may already have.
That said howver, we should point out that Louisiana ranks 3rd lowest for accidental deaths due to falls (behind Alabama and New Jersey) which is definitely a good thing.
Anomaly
Louisiana is the nation’s worst rated state for poverty and for high-risk behavior associated with sexually transmitted diseases.
Sources:
U.S. Dept of Ag., Economic Research Service, https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?ID=17827 (citing U.S. Census Bureau, 2019).
Statista, Population Density in the U.S. by Federal States Including District of Columbia in 2020 (2020).
StatsAmerica (Ind. Bus. Research Center), Median Age in 2019.
CDC, Natl. Center for Health Statistics, State & Territorial Data (2018 – 2019).
CDC, Natl. Center for Health Statistics, Life Expectancy at Birth by State (2018).
CDC, Natl. Center for Health Statistics, Fertility Rates by State (2019).
CDC, Natl. Center for Health Statistics, Stats of the States (2021).
Fieldstadt, Elisha. Murder Map: Deadliest U.S. Cities (CBSNews.com, April 19, 2021).
New York Times, Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count (Aug. 20, 2021).
Natl. Safety Council, Work Deaths by State (2019).
Natl. Safety Council, State Overview Table: 2019 (preventable-injury-related death rates per 100,000 population by state of residence, United States, 2019).
United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2020 Annual Report: Louisiana.
