State Fire Death Rates

The fire problem varies from region to region in the United States. This often is a result of climate, poverty, education, demographics, and other causal factors. The following table shows the District of Columbia and each State’s fire death rate per capita for 2006 based on the State where the fire death occurred. The national fire death rate in 2006 was 13.2 deaths per million population. States are listed by rate from highest to lowest. The higher death rates in 2006 occurred in West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, and Kansas. The States with the lowest rates were Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Rank Order of States by Fire Death Rate in 2006

State of Occurrence Fire Death Rate
West Virginia 38.7
District of Columbia 34.2
Tennessee 27.4
Kansas 27.2
Mississippi 25.5
Alaska 25.1
Alabama 23.5
Arkansas 23.2
Louisiana 21.7
South Carolina 19.9
Pennsylvania 19.9
Oklahoma 19.1
Georgia 18.8
Indiana 18.3
Kentucky 17.6
Nebraska 17.0
Missouri 16.8
Idaho 16.4
Nevada 16.1
Ohio 16.1
North Carolina 15.6
South Dakota 15.2
Michigan 14.0
National Fire Death Rate: 13.2 deaths per million population
Wisconsin 12.8
Montana 12.7
Virginia 12.6
Texas 12.5
New Mexico 11.4
Illinois 11.0
Iowa 10.8
Delaware 10.6
Washington 10.5
Oregon 10.3
New York 10.3
Maine 9.9
Maryland 9.8
Wyoming 9.8
Vermont 9.7
Arizona 9.2
Minnesota 8.9
Florida 8.9
California 8.2
New Jersey 8.0
North Dakota 7.9
Colorado 7.8
Connecticut 6.6
Utah 6.2
Hawaii 5.5
Massachusetts 5.4
Rhode Island 4.7
New Hampshire 4.6

2006 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Data – ICD 10 Codes: 
F63.1, W39-W40, X00-X09, X75-X76, X96-X97, Y25-Y26, and Y35.1 (3,940 deaths), U.S. Census Bureau population data (July 1, 2006 estimates).
Note:  USFA has changed the methodology for computing the fire death rates to be consistent with that used in determining the fire death rates published in the Fire in the United States reports.  The fire death rates are based on all deaths in which exposure to fire, fire products, or explosion was the underlying cause of death or was a contributing factor in the chain of events leading to death.