Infant Mortality Rate by State 2026

Infant mortality measures deaths before an infant’s first birthday per 1,000 live births. It is not a rate per 1,000 children of all ages. The state figures discussed here come from the CDC’s 2024 Infant Mortality data, on a page dated March 9, 2026.

Nationwide, CDC’s final 2024 mortality report recorded 20,050 infant deaths and an infant mortality rate of approximately 5.53 deaths per 1,000 live births. The report expresses the rate as 552.5 deaths per 100,000 live births; the figure above converts it to the per-1,000 scale used for the state rates.

The CDC’s infant mortality overview discusses causes such as premature birth, pregnancy complications, birth defects, and injuries. The following state comparisons use 2024 death rates and counts, with the District of Columbia excluded from state rankings.

States with the Highest Infant Mortality Rates in 2024

The five highest state rates, in deaths per 1,000 live births, were:

1. Mississippi: 9.65; 323 infant deaths
2. Arkansas: 8.28; 293 infant deaths
3. Delaware: 7.77; 82 infant deaths
4. Louisiana: 7.58; 404 infant deaths
5. South Carolina: 7.49; 440 infant deaths

States with the Lowest Infant Mortality Rates in 2024

The five lowest state rates, using the same measure, were:

1. New Hampshire: 2.97; 35 infant deaths
2. New Jersey: 3.37; 342 infant deaths
3. Massachusetts: 3.49; 238 infant deaths
4. New York: 3.95; 811 infant deaths
5. California: 4.18; 1,682 infant deaths

Only the first four states had rates below 4 deaths per 1,000 live births. Vermont recorded 28 infant deaths and a rate of 5.57 in 2024. A missing or suppressed rate should not be interpreted as zero deaths.

Rates and counts answer different questions. Rates compare infant deaths relative to the number of live births, while counts show the total number of deaths. Texas had the largest count in the CDC’s 2024 state data, with 2,226 infant deaths, followed by California with 1,682 and Florida with 1,287. A large death count does not necessarily mean a state has a high mortality rate: California’s rate was 4.18, compared with Mississippi’s 9.65, despite California having more infant deaths.

Infant Mortality Over Time

CDC’s final national report recorded a rate of approximately 5.60 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 and 5.53 in 2024. Although the rate decreased numerically, CDC found that the year-to-year change was not statistically significant. The number of infant deaths fell from 20,145 in 2023 to 20,050 in 2024.

State rates can fluctuate from year to year, especially where the number of deaths is small. A single year’s ranking does not establish a long-term trend or explain the causes of differences between states. Comparisons should use the same reporting year, denominator, and data source.