NFPA Journal - Fall 2022 - 74

NFPA Research The Reports
Nine of the 10 highest fire
death rate states were
among the 10 states with
the largest percentage
below the poverty line.
These nine were all in the
South. Seven of the 10
states with the highest
fire death rates were also
fire deaths, while the percentage
of total fire deaths
in the two least-populated
areas was roughly twice
the percentage of their
populations.
These risk factors are
correlated with each
REPORT SUMMARY
Fire Death Rates
by State
By Marty Ahrens
F
ire death rates vary considerably by state, with
2015-2019 average death rates per million population
ranging from a low of 4.7 to a high of 23.7. The US
average was 10 per million population.
The latest " Fire Death Rates by State " report from
NFPA finds that states with higher fire death rates also tend to have
larger percentages of people who live in rural areas, have incomes
below the poverty line, and live in areas where at least 20 percent of
the population lives below the poverty line. Additionally, the report
also finds that higher death rates are associated with people who
have disabilities, are current smokers, and are either Native American
or Alaskan Native or are African American or Black.
These factors by themselves do not cause fires or fire deaths. The
tools and tables that accompany the report provide state and national
data on these factors compared with fire death tolls and rates.
KEY
FINDINGS
NFPA.ORG/
STATEFIREDEATHS
Read the
complete report
on fire death
rates by state.
Nine of the 10 highest fire
death rate states in 2015-
2019 were in the South.
In 2015-2019, the
national annual average of
fire deaths was 43% lower
than in 1981-1985. All but
four states had fewer fire
deaths in 2015-2019 than
in 1981-1985. All states
had lower fire population-based
death rates
in 2015-2019 than in
1981-1985. In 30 states,
the 2015-2019 rates were
higher than in 2010-2014.
Four of the 10 states with
the highest death rates
74 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2022
were also among the 10
states with the highest
percentage of African
American or Black residents.
Two of the other
states with the highest
fire death rates were in
the top 10 with the highest
percentage of Native
American or Alaska Native
residents. Non-Hispanic
Native Americans or
Alaska Natives have the
highest fire death rate,
followed by Non-Hispanic
African Americans.
The Hispanic or Latino
population has a much
lower fire death rate than
non-Hispanics.
among the 10 states with
the highest percentages
of people living in poverty
areas.
Eight of the 10 highest
fire death rate states were
among the 10 states with
the highest percentage of
people with disabilities.
Seven of the 10 states
with the highest fire death
rates were also among the
10 states with the highest
percentages of adult
smokers.
Five of the 10 highest fire
death rate states were
also among the states with
the largest percentage
of their residents living in
rural areas according to
the 2010 Census. The percentage
of the population
in large central and fringe
metros was roughly 1.5
times their percentage of
other and tend to explain
similar variations in state
fire death rates. A state
that ranks high in one or
more of these risk factors
could be expected to rank
higher in state fire death
rate, and a state that ranks
low in risk factors could be
expected to have a lower
state fire death rate. Fire
death rates can be heavily
influenced by a fire that
kills several people, particularly
in states with lower
populations.
Fire deaths are not an
inevitable consequence of
any factor. Effective programs-such
as universal
public fire and life safety
education, wider use
of home fire protection
systems, and strong consensus
codes with strong
enforcement-can reduce
fire death rates regardless
of demographics.
MARTY AHRENS is manager of fire analysis services at NFPA.
GETTY IMAGES
http://www.NFPA.ORG/STATEFIREDEATHS http://www.NFPA.ORG/STATEFIREDEATHS
NFPA Journal - Fall 2022

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