Mortality More Delaware residents died in 2005 than in 2004. A total of 7,422 residents died, 104 of which were children under the age of 1. Among all Delaware deaths, 50.4 percent were females and 49.6 percent were males. Heart disease and cancer continued to be the leading and second leading causes of death, accounting for 51.3 percent of all deaths in 2005. Just over one quarter of the Delawareans who died in 2005 were 85 or older. Deaths to those 75 and older accounted for more than half of all deaths. A Delaware resident born in 2005 could expect to live an average of 77.7 years. Life expectancy at birth varied by race and sex; white females had the highest life expectancy (81.1) while black males had the lowest (71.3). In 2005, the ten leading causes of death for residents of all ages were almost identical to the top 10 in 2004, with the main difference being movement among the rankings. There were 289 deaths due to accidents in 2005; 41 percent of which were due to motor vehicle accidents and 56 percent of which were due to non-transport accidents. More than half of the 161 non-transport accidents were caused by falls and unintentional poisoning and exposure to noxious substances. From 2001-2005, accidents were the number one cause of death for people 1-44 years of age, and were responsible for 43.2% of all deaths for people 1-24 years of age (See Table F-11). The leading causes of death varied by race and ethnic group. The top five leading causes of death for white, black, and Hispanic Delawareans are shown below. Cancer mortality rates for black and white decedents have been decreasing since the early nineties, and while the gap between black and white has been narrowing, black cancer mortality rates in 2001-2005 were significantly higher than the white rates. The same decreases seen in the age-adjusted mortality rates of both blacks and whites were reflected in the changes of age-specific rates as well. Cancer mortality rates for all age groups declined between 1990-1994 and 2001-2005. The 65-74 age group experienced the largest decrease. Though black mortality rates for drug-induced deaths were historically higher than white rates, in 1994-1998 they began a four year decline that moved them below white rates in 1997-2001. Since then, white mortality rates have remained higher. Overall, black and white mortality rates for drug-induced deaths increased by 156 and 328 percent from 1980-1984 to 2001-2005. While white rates for alcohol-induced deaths have remained fairly steady since 1980-1984, black rates have declined by 63 percent, to 7.3 in 2001-2005. Over half of all drug-induced and alcohol-induced deaths in 2001-2005 were white males. Suicide mortality trends for both black and white populations remained fairly stable from 1990-1994 to 2001-2005, with the white rate (12.5) more than double that of the black rate (5.9). Throughout most of the 90s, both black and white homicide mortality rates demonstrated a declining trend. Recently, mortality rates for whites have remained fairly stable, while mortality rates for blacks have increased slightly. The 2001-2005 homicide mortality rate for blacks (11.1) was over 4 times that of whites (2.6). HIV/AIDS mortality has disproportionately affected Delaware’s black population. Though black HIV/AIDS mortality rates have decreased significantly since their 1993-1997 peak, their 2001-2005 mortality rate of 33.4 deaths per 100,000 was 14 times that of whites. In the 2001-2005 time period, blacks accounted for 78 percent of all deaths due to HIV/AIDS. Though black mortality rates for Diabetes have been declining since 1990-1994, they remained more than twice that of whites. Heart disease remained the most common cause of death for both black and white Delawareans. Both black and white heart disease mortality rates have declined significantly since 1990-1994, though black rates continued to be higher than white rates. Stroke was the third leading cause of death for both blacks and whites in 2001- 2005. Like heart disease, stroke mortality rates for both races continued their downward trends, and the black rates remained significantly higher than white rates. Printed copies of tables, graphs, and charts can by obtained by contacting: Delaware Health Statistics Center Delaware Division of Public Health 417 Federal Street Dover, Delaware 19901 (302) 744-4541