Maps of clusters of states with the highest female breast cancer rates in the USA

Below are maps of clusters of states with the highest female breast cancer rates in the USA. The clusters were found by counting the number of shared borders among states with the highest breast cancer incidence and mortality rates of white, black, and Hispanic women.

Included are also the lists of states with the highest female breast cancer rates.

To learn more about this study, please read the main article. You may also want to read the map guidelines and glossary of terms.

You can view geographic clusters involving other cancers:

Black women breast cancer incidence rates

Map of USA. A few states are colored red, a few are colored purple, a few are colored green, and most are colored gray.

Figure 1: A cluster of states with the highest breast cancer incidence rates of black women

Shared-border ratio: 144%   (23 shared borders among 16 states)

List of states with highest rates:

State Rate (per 100,000) Color
1 District of Columbia 139
2 Missouri 134.9
3 Louisiana 130.9 Not In Cluster
4 Maryland 130.6
5 Virginia 130.4
6 Wisconsin 129.6
7 North Carolina 129.1
8 Delaware 128.1
9 Illinois 128.1
10 Kentucky 127.2
11 Pennsylvania 126.9
12 Tennessee 126.6
13 Oklahoma 126.5
14 Indiana 126.2
15 Georgia 125.8
16 Michigan 125.8

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 43)

White women breast cancer mortality rates

Map of USA. A few states are colored red, a few are colored purple, a few are colored green, and most are colored gray.

Figure 2: A cluster of states with the highest breast cancer mortality rates of white women

Shared-border ratio: 133%   (20 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

State Rate (per 100,000) Color
1 District of Columbia 23.6 Not In Cluster
2 Nevada 23.5 Not In Cluster
3 New Jersey 23.1
4 Oklahoma 22.8
5 Ohio 22.7
6 West Virginia 22.2
7 Pennsylvania 22
8 Kentucky 21.9
9 Missouri 21.9
10 California 21.8 Not In Cluster
11 Illinois 21.7
12 Indiana 21.7
13 Delaware 21.4
14 Michigan 21.4
15 New York 21.4

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 49)

Black women breast cancer mortality rates

Map of USA. A few states are colored red, a few are colored purple, a few are colored green, and most are colored gray.

Figure 3: A cluster of states with the highest breast cancer mortality rates of black women

Shared-border ratio: 127%   (19 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

State Rate (per 100,000) Color
1 Louisiana 34.8
2 District of Columbia 33.8
3 Oklahoma 33.6
4 Mississippi 33.4
5 Tennessee 33
6 Missouri 32.6
7 Pennsylvania 32.3 Not In Cluster
8 Illinois 32
9 Texas 32
10 Michigan 31.7
11 Wisconsin 31.7
12 Arkansas 31.4
13 Virginia 31
14 California 30.9 Not In Cluster
15 Indiana 30.8

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 40)