Stacker cited National Vital Statistics System mortality data between 1910-1925, digitized by the National Bureau of Economic Research, to look at how states were affected by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.
California
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 17.1% (9,675 deaths)
--- 40.4 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 8.5% (3,938 deaths)
--- 16.4 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 4.6% (2,185 deaths)
--- 9.1 times the 1910-1917 average
Colorado
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 23.5% (4,126 deaths)
--- 45.0 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 10.0% (1,205 deaths)
--- 13.1 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 7.6% (1,049 deaths)
--- 11.4 times the 1910-1917 average
Connecticut
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 20.6% (5,604 deaths)
--- 21.6 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 6.8% (1,234 deaths)
--- 4.8 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 4.9% (918 deaths)
--- 3.5 times the 1910-1917 average
Illinois
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 15.1% (15,169 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 6.7% (5,195 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 6.3% (5,192 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
Indiana
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 12.1% (5,553 deaths)
--- 10.7 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 8.2% (3,025 deaths)
--- 5.8 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.8% (2,295 deaths)
--- 4.4 times the 1910-1917 average
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Kansas
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 16.3% (4,073 deaths)
--- 8.6 times the 1914-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 9.3% (1,784 deaths)
--- 3.8 times the 1914-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 7.3% (1,473 deaths)
--- 3.1 times the 1914-1917 average
Kentucky
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 18.1% (7,149 deaths)
--- 14.0 times the 1911-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 12.6% (3,862 deaths)
--- 7.6 times the 1911-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 6.4% (1,838 deaths)
--- 3.6 times the 1911-1917 average
Louisiana
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 16.5% (5,312 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 9.3% (2,141 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 4.2% (916 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
Maine
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 17.3% (2,513 deaths)
--- 13.7 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 7.2% (807 deaths)
--- 4.4 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.0% (591 deaths)
--- 3.2 times the 1910-1917 average
Maryland
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 13.8% (4,437 deaths)
--- 20.7 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 5.6% (1,232 deaths)
--- 5.8 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 3.2% (691 deaths)
--- 3.2 times the 1910-1917 average
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Massachusetts
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 16.2% (12,494 deaths)
--- 32.9 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 5.4% (2,830 deaths)
--- 7.5 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 3.0% (1,584 deaths)
--- 4.2 times the 1910-1917 average
Michigan
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 12.0% (6,382 deaths)
--- 13.1 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 6.6% (3,024 deaths)
--- 6.2 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.9% (3,018 deaths)
--- 6.2 times the 1910-1917 average
Minnesota
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 18.4% (5,720 deaths)
--- 30.2 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 8.5% (2,106 deaths)
--- 11.1 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 6.5% (1,677 deaths)
--- 8.9 times the 1910-1917 average
Missouri
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 13.2% (7,025 deaths)
--- 9.8 times the 1911-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 6.6% (2,633 deaths)
--- 3.7 times the 1911-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 7.8% (3,310 deaths)
--- 4.6 times the 1911-1917 average
Montana
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 29.5% (2,654 deaths)
--- 84.9 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 11.9% (687 deaths)
--- 22.0 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.7% (304 deaths)
--- 9.7 times the 1910-1917 average
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New Hampshire
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 20.9% (1,999 deaths)
--- 19.0 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 7.6% (493 deaths)
--- 4.7 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 4.5% (303 deaths)
--- 2.9 times the 1910-1917 average
New Jersey
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 13.7% (8,377 deaths)
--- 25.1 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 5.2% (2,117 deaths)
--- 6.3 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 2.9% (1,202 deaths)
--- 3.6 times the 1910-1917 average
New York
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 11.5% (21,903 deaths)
--- 17.6 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 4.9% (6,944 deaths)
--- 5.6 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 3.3% (4,719 deaths)
--- 3.8 times the 1910-1917 average
North Carolina
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 18.8% (7,948 deaths)
--- 40.7 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 12.3% (3,802 deaths)
--- 19.4 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 9.2% (2,995 deaths)
--- 15.3 times the 1910-1917 average
Ohio
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 14.7% (13,542 deaths)
--- 14.8 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 7.8% (5,668 deaths)
--- 6.2 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.1% (3,808 deaths)
--- 4.2 times the 1910-1917 average
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Oregon
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 16.2% (1,564 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 9.5% (849 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.2% (481 deaths)
--- Mortality data before 1918 not available
Pennsylvania
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 20.9% (39,301 deaths)
--- 30.1 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 5.9% (6,878 deaths)
--- 5.3 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.1% (6,114 deaths)
--- 4.7 times the 1910-1917 average
Rhode Island
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 17.7% (2,190 deaths)
--- 25.6 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 6.7% (568 deaths)
--- 6.6 times the 1910-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 4.2% (364 deaths)
--- 4.3 times the 1910-1917 average
South Carolina
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 19.4% (5,964 deaths)
--- 16.2 times the 1916-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 13.8% (3,171 deaths)
--- 8.6 times the 1916-1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 9.8% (2,322 deaths)
--- 6.3 times the 1916-1917 average
Tennessee
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 16.9% (6,281 deaths)
--- 11.1 times 1917 mortality
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 10.8% (3,093 deaths)
--- 5.5 times 1917 mortality
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 8.5% (2,412 deaths)
--- 4.3 times 1917 mortality
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Utah
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 22.7% (1,402 deaths)
--- 35.1 times the 1910-1915 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 16.4% (803 deaths)
--- 20.1 times the 1910-1915 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 11.0% (573 deaths)
--- 14.3 times the 1910-1915 average
Vermont
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 19.9% (1,352 deaths)
--- 9.5 times the 1910-1913 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 7.2% (366 deaths)
--- 2.6 times the 1910-1913 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.4% (297 deaths)
--- 2.1 times the 1910-1913 average
Virginia
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 19.0% (7,839 deaths)
--- 18.2 times 1917 flu mortality
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 12.3% (3,858 deaths)
--- 9.0 times 1917 flu mortality
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 7.6% (2,311 deaths)
--- 5.4 times 1917 flu mortality
Washington
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 17.4% (2,926 deaths)
--- 27.6 times the 1910 and 1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 9.5% (1,365 deaths)
--- 12.9 times the 1910 and 1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 7.4% (1,121 deaths)
--- 10.6 times the 1910 and 1917 average
Wisconsin
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1918: 17.9% (6,250 deaths)
--- 18.3 times the 1910 and 1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1919: 7.9% (2,206 deaths)
--- 6.5 times the 1910 and 1917 average
- Flu mortality as percent of all deaths, 1920: 5.8% (1,726 deaths)
--- 5.1 times the 1910 and 1917 average
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Nationwide, CDC reported that kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and vaccine exemptions are at an all-time high.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people died from the flu so far this winter, including 86 children.
