In the United States, many aspects of health system performance are the responsibility of local governments, including state and county governments. In order to be responsive to the health needs of their populations, state- and county-level decision-makers need accurate information about local health trends and the risk factors driving these trends, as well as health system performance and whether their local health systems are delivering the interventions that will achieve good health outcomes.
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study measures the toll of early death and disability caused by more than 300 diseases and injuries. The study produces estimates of life expectancy, causes of death, and nonfatal health loss for the US as a whole and for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Results are available by age group and sex for each cause of death and disability and more than 80 risk factors, from 1990 to the present.
Use these resources to find more information on the GBD US state-level work:
- GBD Compare data visualization
- US state profiles
- US state topic profiles
- The State of US Health, 1990-2016 publication
- Download GBD data
Through a separate project, IHME's US county performance research compiles national and local health data from throughout the US. The research team develops new methods for small area estimation and applies these methods to track state and county-level life expectancy, risk factor prevalence, and disease and injury mortality to determine how well counties are addressing the health of their residents.
Use these resources to find more information about the US county-level work:
- US Health Map data visualization
- US county profiles
- US county publications:
- Trends and Patterns of Differences in Infectious Disease Mortality Among US Counties, 1980-2014
- Trends and patterns of geographic variation in mortality from substance use disorders and intentional injuries among US counties, 1980-2014
- Inequalities in life expectancy among US counties, 1980 to 2014
- Trends and patterns of differences in chronic respiratory disease mortality among US counties, 1980–2014
- Trends and patterns of geographic variation in cardiovascular mortality among US counties, 1980–2014
- Trends and patterns of disparities in cancer mortality among US counties, 1980–2014
- US county-level trends in mortality rates for causes of death, 1980-2014
- Download US county-level data
Health loss can only be properly addressed if resources, technology, and innovation are combined with an in-depth understanding of the current health spending landscape. IHME’s Disease Expenditure (DEX) research uncovers how resources are spent on US health care across health conditions, age groups, sexes, types of care, and time. These findings, in turn, can help health system researchers and policymakers identify the driving forces behind spending increases.
Use these resources to find more information about the DEX work:
Working-age Americans in 21 states faced a higher probability of premature death from 1990 to 2016, according to the most extensive state-by-state US health study ever conducted.
Analyze updated data about the world’s health levels and trends from 1990 to 2017 in this interactive tool using estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Use treemaps, maps, arrow diagrams, and other charts to compare causes and risks within a country (now at the US state-level), compare countries with regions or the world, and explore patterns and trends by country, age, and gender. Drill from a global view into specific details.
The Country and US State Profiles provide an overview of findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). They are based on over 80,000 different data sources used by researchers to produce the most scientifically rigorous estimates possible.
This is a summary of the findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) for all 50 of the United States and Washington, D.C., from 1990 through 2016. It is the most comprehensive and comparable study on US health to date, tracking 400+ diseases, injuries, and risk factors.
With this interactive map, you can explore health trends in the United States at the county level for both sexes for cancer, 21 major causes of death, life expectancy, alcohol, smoking, hypertension, obesity, physical activity, and diabetes.
IHME analyzed the performance of all 3,142 US counties or county-equivalents in terms of life expectancy at birth, mortality rates for select causes, alcohol use, smoking prevalence, obesity prevalence, and recommended physical activity using novel small area estimation techniques and the most up-to-date county-level information.
US subnational publications covering a range of topics and research, including the global burden of disease, US county performance, and disease expenditure.