State rankings

Cancer Rates by State

Kentucky has the highest Cancer Rate: New Cases in 2023 (530.5 per 100k), followed by West Virginia (517.8 per 100k) and Louisiana (514.2 per 100k). Arizona has the lowest (375.4 per 100k).

Health51 states · 7 metricsUpdated Jun 20, 2025Original page
1 source
51 of 51 states
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Cancer Rate: New Cases, 2023

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
461.3 per 100k
Middle half 438.2 per 100k – 477.9 per 100k
Average
457.1 per 100k
51 states
Lowest (best)
375.4 per 100k
Arizona
Highest (worst)
530.5 per 100k
Kentucky

Over time · 2019–2023

The top 5 in 2023, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Colorado
  • Oregon
  • Nevada

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Cancer Rate: New Cases
#
1Arizona375.4 per 100k36,904
2New Mexico378.8 per 100k10,683
3Colorado385.6 per 100k26,706
4Oregon397.1 per 100k22,710
5Nevada400.8 per 100k16,131
6Wyoming403.7 per 100k3,137
7Virginia412.5 per 100k45,328
8California420.6 per 100k196,553
9Massachusetts430.9 per 100k40,170
10Hawaii434.1 per 100k8,697
11Idaho436.1 per 100k10,523
12Alabama437.2 per 100k28,916
13Texas437.6 per 100k143,037
14Montana438.8 per 100k6,875
15Alaska441.8 per 100k3,550
16Utah442.8 per 100k14,314
17North Dakota443.6 per 100k4,117
18Washington445.1 per 100k42,885
19Nebraska446.5 per 100k10,689
20Indiana451.9 per 100k38,574
21Kansas453.5 per 100k16,509
22South Carolina455.1 per 100k33,095
23Michigan455.3 per 100k61,783
24District of Columbia455.6 per 100k3,151
25Rhode Island456.7 per 100k6,870
26Pennsylvania461.3 per 100k83,130
27Vermont461.9 per 100k4,475
28Florida462.8 per 100k154,767
29Tennessee465.2 per 100k41,921
30Maryland466.1 per 100k36,853
31Mississippi467.4 per 100k17,533
32Connecticut468.3 per 100k23,172
33Georgia471.0 per 100k61,053
34Missouri471.9 per 100k38,006
35Oklahoma472.7 per 100k23,057
36Arkansas473.4 per 100k18,513
37North Carolina476.8 per 100k66,135
38Illinois477.2 per 100k76,430
39Ohio478.5 per 100k74,550
40Delaware480.0 per 100k7,166
41New York483.0 per 100k125,073
42New Hampshire484.9 per 100k9,991
43South Dakota490.2 per 100k5,664
44Maine491.3 per 100k10,622
45Wisconsin494.5 per 100k39,450
46New Jersey497.1 per 100k60,188
47Minnesota507.5 per 100k37,124
48Iowa511.9 per 100k21,258
49Louisiana514.2 per 100k29,427
50West Virginia517.8 per 100k13,278
51Kentucky530.5 per 100k30,797

What correlates with Cancer Rate: New Cases (2023)?

Pearson r against 2,090 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Cancer Rate: New Cases tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Average Daily HumidityMost Humid States
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Average Morning HumidityMost Humid States
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Average Afternoon HumidityMost Humid States
    r = +0.66 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Average Relative HumidityLeast Humid States
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Average HumidityMost Humid States
    r = +0.64 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Total PrecipitationAverage Temperatures by State
    r = +0.61 · strong · n = 48
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Cancer Rate: New Cases tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. The highest point in each state in feetHighest Point in Each State
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Highest ElevationFlattest States in the United States
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Public Land % of StatePublic Land by State
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Federal Land (% of Total Land Area)Federal Land by State
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Scary Bridge HeightScariest Bridge by State
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  6. Birthplace DiversityMost Diverse US StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.61 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Cancer Rate: New Cases?
Kentucky has the highest Cancer Rate: New Cases in 2023, at 530.5 per 100k, followed by West Virginia (517.8 per 100k) and Louisiana (514.2 per 100k).
Which state has the lowest Cancer Rate: New Cases?
Arizona has the lowest Cancer Rate: New Cases in 2023, at 375.4 per 100k.
What is the median Cancer Rate: New Cases across US states?
The median is 461.3 per 100k across the 51 US states with data in 2023.
Where does this cancer rates by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Cancer Statistics at a Glance - CDC Cancer Data and Statistics Tools.