Community Indicator

Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births)

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Strategic Priorities
  • Not Defined
    4.1 Significantly reduce infant mortality
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About this measure

This measure features Cuyahoga County's infant mortality rate, defined as the number of babies that die within their first year of life per 1,000 births.

Data are reported by the Cuyahoga County Office of Innovation and Performance on an annual basis.
Why is this important?

Community experts use the rate of infant mortality as a strong indicator of a population’s health and of society’s ability to support its most vulnerable members — it reflects not only the care a mother and father receive during pregnancy and the care a baby receives after birth, but also the long-term health of the parents, the broader health of the surrounding community, and a range of persistent issues, including racism and poverty.  

For five decades, Greater Cleveland had one of the worst rates of infant mortality in the nation. In 2015, Greater Cleveland's rate of infant deaths was nearly double the average for the United States – 10.5 deaths per 1,000 live births versus 5.8 nationally.
How are we making an impact?

This is a community indicator measure. It is provided to show an understanding of overall community health. The County government does not directly control the outcome of this measure; however, a number of programs and initiatives the County is undertaking can have an impact.  

On December 30, 2015, community leaders from all sectors (civic, business, government, faith-based, nonprofit, education, health care) joined the Office of the County Executive and City of Cleveland leadership to form First Year Cleveland and create a bold, data-informed plan to solve the unsolvable. Since its inception, First Year Cleveland has analyzed the complex problem of infant mortality, gained a better understanding of why babies are dying, and adopted the mission to mobilize the community through partnerships and a unified strategy to reduce infant deaths, including racial disparities. First Year Cleveland's recent highlights are publicly accessible on the organization's website.
Infant Mortality Rate - Annual Performance
Cuyahoga County Infant Mortality Rate (by Year)*
Bar chart with 4 bars.
Bar chart shows the infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County by calendar year. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Deaths per 1,000 live births. Range: 0 to 15.
End of interactive chart.
Infant Mortality Rate by Race and Ethnicity - Annual Performance
Cuyahoga County Infant Mortality Rate by Race and Ethnicity (by Year)*
Line chart with 3 lines.
Line graph shows the infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County by calendar year disaggregated by race and ethnicity. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Deaths per 1,000 live births. Range: 0 to 20.
End of interactive chart.
Community Indicator
Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Infant Mortality rate (per 1,000 births)
Infant Mortality Rate (Comparative Analysis)
Bar chart with 7 data series.
Bar chart shows the infant mortality rate in 2019 for comparative counties. Cuyahoga: 8.61 Franklin: 6.90 Hamilton: 9.30 Hillsborough: 6.58 Montgomery: 9.00 Lucas: 9.40 Summit: 6.00
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 10.
End of interactive chart.
Data Source

Cuyahoga County: Cuyahoga County Board of Health (Month of Update: February)

Comparative Analysis: Ohio Department of Health and Florida Department of Health (Month of Update: December, 1-year lag)

*In Q4-20, preliminary 2019 data for Cuyahoga County was updated to reflect final numbers.  2020 data is preliminary and will be updated once final numbers have been released by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
Measure Data
Last Calculated 2 days ago
Period Status Black White Hispanic Overall
2015 Community Indicator 18.50 5.80 8.20 10.50
2016 Community Indicator 15.00 4.50 6.90 8.70
2017 Community Indicator 16.10 2.40 8.50 8.10
2018 Community Indicator 15.50 3.80 10.70 8.60
2019 Community Indicator 16.34 3.92 2.98 8.61
2020 Community Indicator 13.57 3.50 2.17 7.18
2021 Not Defined