Leading Causes of Death Dashboard

This data dashboard provides access to statistical information based primarily on aggregate data from Wisconsin death records. 2024 is the most recent year of data currently available. The data are updated annually and were last updated February 17, 2026.

Wisconsin Stat. ch. 69 mandates the State Registrar in the Department of Health Services (DHS) to supervise and direct the collection and use of these kinds of data. This statute also requires DHS to issue annual statistics based on the data. Visit the technical notes page for more information on the data presented on this page.

Key findings

Heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries have been three leading causes of death statewide and within each Wisconsin region since 2021.
Unintentional injuries were the top causes of death for those less than 25 years old for all years between 2018 and 2024 except for 2020.
In 2024, cancer was the most common cause of death for Hispanics (96.3 deaths per 100,000) and non-Hispanic individuals who were two or more races (65.3 deaths per 100,000). Heart disease was the number one cause for non-Hispanic white (161.8 per 100,000), non-Hispanic Black (227.5 per 100,000), non-Hispanic American Indian (205.5 per 100,000) and non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander (80.6 per 100,000).

Suggested citation: Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Health Informatics. Wisconsin Vital Records Data Dashboard, https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/stats/deaths/causes.htm. Leading Causes of Deaths Dashboard, accessed MM/DD/YYYY.

Unintentional Injuries represent any harm or damage to the body resulting from an external force, which can be physical (e.g., fire, blast, shock) or chemical (e.g., poison or a drug overdose). The intent of injuries is classified as unintentional, self‐ inflicted, assaults, or undetermined (when the intent is unknown). See the full list of unintentional injuries (PDF).

Leading Causes of Death Dashboard

Key findings

Related links

Glossary