Leading Causes of Death and Chronic Diseases

The Leading Causes of Death and Chronic Disease report provides data for the top 10 causes of death and selected chronic diseases by county. When available, behaviors, incidence or prevalence, emergency department or hospital visits, and death data are presented.

In the Leading Causes of Death chart below, explore the death indicators to see the age groups most impacted by that cause of death. The top 10 causes are provided for each age group and vary over time. The chart provides data for Florida, whereas the data table, Leading Causes of Death and Chronic Disease, is specific to the county selected.




   

Leading Causes of Death and Chronic Disease, Polk County, Florida
IndicatorYear(s)Measure TypeQuartile 
1234
County NumberCounty RateState NumberState Rate
Overall Health Status 1
Life Expectancy
2022-24 Estimated years of life
77.6
79.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
25,442
791.4
696,535
687.6
2024 Per 100,000 Population Aged 0-74 Years2
60,538
8,070.8
1,471,348
7,081.9
2024 Rate Per 1,000 Live Births3
72
7.6
1,276
5.7
2024 Rate Per 100,000 Live Births,
1
10.6
42
18.7
Leading Causes of Death 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Heart Diseases
2024 Percent
4%
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 653
53
8.0
1,130
6.3
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
9,429
299.1
243,605
245.0
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
2,718
80.9
88,574
82.2
Cancer
2020-22 Per 100,000 Total Population2
13,836
459.5
434,609
459.0
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
5,040
151.1
142,056
135.0
COVID-19
2024 Per 100,000 Total Population4
118
10.0
2,423
6.5
Unintentional Injury
     Emergency Department Visits From Non-Fatal Self-Harm Injury
2024 Per 100,000 Total Population
501
66.3
11,238
55.8
     Hospitalizations from Non-Fatal Self Harm Injuries
2024 Per 100,000 Total Population
314
39.4
7,082
31.3
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
1,569
62.0
47,793
62.0
Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke)
2024 Percent
3.8%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
8,505
268.6
243,371
242.4
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
1,689
50.8
50,008
46.0
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease (CLRD)
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
6,230
215.3
135,150
162.5
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
1,447
41.7
33,586
30.5
Diabetes
2024 Percent
11.9%
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 653
1,363
205.7
26,156
144.9
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
100,245
3,246.7
2,210,433
2,283.0
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
1,739
58.9
36,541
39.5
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
1,001
30.6
22,159
21.4
Alzheimer's Disease
2024 Percent3
17,349
10.9%
557,084
11.1%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
505
14.9
18,431
16.5
Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
378
12.6
10,861
11.9
Nephritis
2024 Percent
4.5%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
430
13.0
10,708
10.2
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
2024 Percent
37.6%
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 653
25
3.8
650
3.6
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
16,149
615.4
371,155
452.9
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
13,651
435.8
325,939
329.0
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
312
9.5
10,174
9.6
Suicide
2024 Percent
28.1%
27.6%
2024 Percent
19.4%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
9,896
436.0
279,927
438.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
378
14.7
10,594
14.0
Parkinson's Disease
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
93
2.7
2,881
2.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
302
8.7
10,555
9.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
284
8.1
9,810
8.8
Influenza and Pneumonia
Per 100,000 Total Population
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 651
538
81.2
16,346
90.5
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
499
15.2
8,800
8.4
Homicide
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
104
4.7
3,979
6.4
In Situ, Benign, Uncertain/Unknown Behavior Neoplasms
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
115
3.5
3,891
3.6
Medical and Surgical Care Complications
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
25
0.8
599
0.6
Congenital and Chromosomal Abnormalities
2024 Per 100,000 Live Births
12
126.8
256
114.1
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
69
3.0
1,858
3.0
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
2024 Per 100,000 Total Population3
140
17.0
4,463
19.4
2024 Per 100,000 Total Population3
73
8.9
1,973
8.6
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
66
2.6
1,787
2.2
Other Causes of Death and Selected Chronic Diseases 1, 2, 4, 5
Arthritis
2024 Percent
27.5%
2021 Percent
39.1%
Asthma
2024 Percent
11.6%
8.9%
2024 Percent
9.1%
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 53
203
439.2
6,158
536.5
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 654
401
60.5
9,252
51.2
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
13,915
647.8
252,438
432.1
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
1,344
56.8
31,110
48.8
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
24
0.8
589
0.7
Breast Cancer
2024 Percent
58.3%
2020-22 Per 100,000 Females2
1,807
122.2
60,225
129.5
2022-24 Per 100,000 Females3
333
20.4
9,752
18.5
Cervical Cancer
2023 Percent
38.1%
2020-22 Per 100,000 Females3
134
11.7
3,262
8.9
2022-24 Per 100,000 Females3
56
3.8
1,103
2.5
Colorectal Cancer
2024 Percent
33%
2024 Percent
3.8%
2020-22 Per 100,000 Total Population4
1,186
40.9
32,949
35.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
469
14.5
12,480
12.3
Lung Cancer
2020-22 Per 100,000 Total Population2
1,932
58.7
52,866
51.3
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
1,166
33.6
31,036
28.5
Melanoma
2020-22 Per 100,000 Total Population3
806
27.7
24,607
26.1
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population1
59
1.8
2,156
2.1
Prostate Cancer
2020 Percent
44.4%
2020-22 Per 100,000 Males3
1,734
111.3
50,769
105.2
2022-24 Per 100,000 Males2
290
18.2
8,133
16.6
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
2024 Percent
7.1%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
20,367
841.0
370,639
529.9
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
4,886
158.5
104,040
113.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
1,447
41.7
33,586
30.5
Epilepsy
2024 Percent
1.7%
2024 Percent
30%
2022 Percent
43.4%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population4
12,595
539.6
233,630
352.7
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
12,576
470.8
323,540
408.8
2024 Per 100,000 Population 6 and Older3
196
25.6
5,814
26.8
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 653
668
100.8
15,713
87.0
Heart Attack
2024 Percent
5.1%
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population2
633
18.9
20,467
19.2
Heart Failure
2024 Per 100,000 Population Under 654
860
129.8
15,863
87.9
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
58,190
1,811.6
1,455,677
1,424.8
2022-24 Per 100,000 Total Population3
604
18.0
13,863
12.7
1/31/2026 9:31:01 AM

Data Note(s)

FLHealthCHARTS.gov is provided by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Public Health Statistics and Performance Management.

  • All indicators in this profile, except the indicators from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), report rates based on the entire black population and entire white population. Indicators from the BRFSS only include non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites in the rates reported. These indicators all begin with the word "Adults".

  • When race and ethnicity data are not available, rate ratios are not provided.

  • Cancer incidence counts are suppressed (left blank) when counts are between 1 and 9.

  • Age-adjusted death rates are computed using the year 2000 standard population.

  • Green, yellow, orange and red county quartiles represent the most to the least favorable situation (1st to 4th quartile). Light to dark blue county quartiles represent density from lowest to highest (1st to 4th).

  • Data Sources

  • 1 Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics

  • 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Florida Department of Health, Division of Community Health Promotion

  • 3 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)

  • 4 University of Miami (FL) Medical School, Florida Cancer Data System

  • 5 Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA)

  • 6 Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Communicable Diseases