Maps of clusters of states with the highest rates of colon and rectum cancers in the USA

Below are maps of clusters of states with the highest rates of colon and rectum cancers in the USA. The clusters were found by counting the number of shared borders among states with the highest colon and rectum cancers incidence and mortality rates for every combination of gender and race/ethnicity.

Included are also the lists of states with the highest rates of colon and rectum cancers.

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:

White men colon and rectum cancers 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 colon and rectum cancers incidence rates of white men

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

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)
1	Kentucky	59.3
2	West Virginia	54.3
3	North Dakota	54.2
4	Mississippi	53.6
5	Louisiana	53.4
6	Iowa	52
7	Illinois	51.6
8	Pennsylvania	50.6
9	Alabama	50
10	South Dakota	49.8
11	Missouri	49.4
12	New Jersey	49.4
13	Indiana	49
14	Arkansas	48.8
15	Nebraska	48.7

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 48)

Black men colon and rectum cancers incidence rates

Figure 2: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers incidence rates of black men

Shared-border ratio: 140% (21 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Mississippi	74.1
2	Louisiana	69.9
3	Nebraska	69.6
4	Illinois	68.5
5	Wisconsin	67.1
6	Alabama	64.9
7	Kentucky	63.7
8	Kansas	63.3
9	Missouri	62.7
10	District of Columbia	62.5	Not In Cluster
11	Utah	60.4	Not In Cluster
12	Georgia	60
13	Tennessee	59.5
14	Texas	59.4
15	Arkansas	59

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

White men colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 3: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of white men

Shared-border ratio: 167% (25 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)
1	West Virginia	23
2	Arkansas	21.2
3	Kentucky	21
4	Mississippi	20.9
5	Nevada	20.6
6	Oklahoma	20.3
7	Ohio	19.9
8	Tennessee	19.8
9	Louisiana	19.6
10	Indiana	19.5
11	Iowa	19.4
12	Missouri	19.3
13	Alabama	19.2
14	Pennsylvania	19.1
15	Illinois	18.8

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

Black men colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 4: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of black men

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

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Nebraska	38
2	West Virginia	34.6
3	Mississippi	33.1
4	Tennessee	33.1
5	Louisiana	30.8
6	Alabama	30.6
7	Oklahoma	30.1
8	Arkansas	30
9	Texas	29.2
10	Illinois	28.8
11	Pennsylvania	28.8
12	Missouri	28.7
13	Michigan	27.5
14	South Carolina	27.1	Not In Cluster
15	Ohio	27

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 38)

Hispanic men colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 5: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of Hispanic men

Shared-border ratio: 140% (21 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	New Mexico	19.8
2	Utah	18.1
3	Texas	17.9
4	Colorado	17.4
5	Michigan	17.2
6	Arizona	16.4
7	Florida	16.3	Not In Cluster
8	New York	15.9
9	Oklahoma	15.9
10	California	15.3
11	Nevada	14.2
12	Pennsylvania	14.2
13	Kansas	14
14	Nebraska	13.7
15	Ohio	13.4

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 28)

White women colon and rectum cancers incidence rates

Figure 6: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers incidence rates of white women

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

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Kentucky	43.2
2	West Virginia	40.7
3	Iowa	39.7
4	South Dakota	39.5
5	North Dakota	39.4
6	Indiana	38.8
7	New Jersey	38.7
8	Louisiana	38.6	Not In Cluster
9	Nebraska	38.3
10	Pennsylvania	38.1
11	Mississippi	37.9	Not In Cluster
12	Illinois	37.6
13	New York	36.6
14	Missouri	36.5
15	Oklahoma	35.6

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 48)

Black women colon and rectum cancers incidence rates

Figure 7: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers incidence rates of black women

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

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Mississippi	53.8
2	Kentucky	51.8
3	Utah	51.3	Not In Cluster
4	Louisiana	51.2
5	Nebraska	50.8
6	Illinois	49
7	District of Columbia	48.2	Not In Cluster
8	Arkansas	45.9
9	Iowa	45.9
10	Indiana	45.5
11	Missouri	45.1
12	Alabama	44.6
13	California	43.8	Not In Cluster
14	Michigan	43.6
15	Tennessee	43.5

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

White women colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 8: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of white women

Shared-border ratio: 137% (22 shared borders among 16 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	West Virginia	15.4
2	Kentucky	14.6
3	Arkansas	14.4
4	Nebraska	14.2
5	Iowa	14
6	Nevada	14	Not In Cluster
7	Mississippi	13.7
8	Pennsylvania	13.6
9	Rhode Island	13.6	Not In Cluster
10	Louisiana	13.5
11	Ohio	13.5
12	Oklahoma	13.4
13	Tennessee	13.4
14	Missouri	13.2
15	Indiana	13.1
16	New Jersey	13.1

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

Black women colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 9: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of black women

Shared-border ratio: 107% (16 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Iowa	22.9
2	Mississippi	22.1
3	Kansas	21.8
4	Tennessee	20.7
5	Arkansas	20.5
6	Oklahoma	20.5
7	Illinois	20
8	Kentucky	19.4
9	Oregon	19.4	Not In Cluster
10	Alabama	19.2
11	Louisiana	19.2
12	District of Columbia	19.1	Not In Cluster
13	Indiana	18.9
14	New Mexico	18.6
15	Nevada	18.5	Not In Cluster

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 39)

Hispanic women colon and rectum cancers mortality rates

Figure 10: A cluster of states with the highest colon and rectum cancers mortality rates of Hispanic women

Shared-border ratio: 107% (16 shared borders among 15 states)

List of states with highest rates:

	State	Rate (per 100,000)	Color
1	Kansas	12.4
2	New Mexico	11.8
3	Colorado	11.5
4	Florida	10.7	Not In Cluster
5	New York	10.4
6	Massachusetts	10.2
7	Idaho	10.1
8	Arizona	10
9	Utah	9.9
10	Oregon	9.7
11	Texas	9.7
12	Michigan	9.6	Not In Cluster
13	Nevada	9.5
14	New Jersey	9.2
15	Virginia	9.2	Not In Cluster

(Number of states in the contiguous U.S. with numerical cancer rates in the CDC file: 28)