In the six-state New England region, there were 28,580 deaths in 2020 that were attributable to heart disease. At 192.5 deaths per 100,000 population, relative to its population size, the heart disease death rate in the region was about 9% lower than the national average.  As witnessed in other sections of the U.S., the New England region recorded materially lower heart disease death rates in its large urban centers than it did in its smaller communities and rural areas.  Further study of National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data produces the following details about urban vs. rural heart disease death rates in New England:

Urban vs. Rural Heart Disease Death Rates in New England

County Classification	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Large Central Metro	4,102	2,327,355	176.3
Large Fringe Metro	9,540	5,376,229	177.4
Medium Metro	8,710	4,592,468	189.7
Small Metro	1,927	819,097	235.3
Micropolitan (Nonmetro)	2,652	1,087,204	243.9
NonCore (Nonmetro)	1,649	645,115	255.6
Region	28,580	14,847,468	192.5
Nationally	696,962	329,484,123	211.5

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

States in region:  Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

See the 2013 NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for additional information on population categories, including a map of which U.S. counties fall in which categories.

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on February 13, 2023