Skin Cancer Rates by State

In the following maps, the U.S. states are divided into groups, based on the rates at which people developed or died from melanoma of the skin in 2008, which is the most recent year with numbers available. The rates are the numbers out of 100,000 people who developed or died from melanoma of the skin each year.

Rates of Getting Skin Cancer by State

The number of people who get skin cancer is called the skin cancer incidence. In the United States, the risk of getting skin cancer varies from state to state.

Melanoma of the Skin Incidence Rates* by State, 2008†

Color on Map	Interval	States
Light green	7.4 to 17.2	Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas
Medium green	17.3 to 19.1	Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin
Medium blue	19.2 to 21.5	Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and West Virginia
Dark blue	21.6 to 28.8	Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming

Please note that delays in reporting melanoma cases to cancer registries are more common since they are usually diagnosed and treated in non-hospital settings such as physician offices.

*Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2008 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2012. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs. (full site)

Deaths from Skin Cancer by State

Rates of dying from skin cancer also vary from state to state.

Melanoma of the Skin Death Rates* by State, 2008†

Color on Map	Interval	States
Light green	1.1 to 2.5	Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas
Medium green	2.6 to 2.8	Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin
Medium blue	2.9 to 3.1	Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming
Dark blue	3.2 to 4.0	Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Vermont, and West Virginia
	Data suppressed*	Alaska, District of Columbia, and North Dakota

*Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Rates are suppressed if fewer than 16 cases were reported in a state.
†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2008 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2012. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs. (full site)