Figure 1: Infant Mortality Rates in King County

Figure 2: Infant Mortality, 5 year average

Figure 4: Infant Mortality by Neighborhood Poverty Level

Figure 3: Infant Mortality by Race/Ethnicity

Figures:  
• Figure 1: Infant Mortality Rates in King County  – 
• Figure 2: Infant Mortality, 5 year average  – 
• Figure 4: Infant Mortality by Neighborhood Poverty Level  – 
• Figure 3: Infant Mortality by Race/Ethnicity

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Infant Death Rates in King County, Three Year Rolling Averages 1990-2007 The infant death rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Starting in the 1980s, infant mortality rates have trended downward in the County and every region except North Region. (Figure 1) In the past 15 years, rates have declined in King County from 5.9 per 1,000 in 1992-1994 to 4.3 per 1,000 in 2004-2006. In 2006, 100 deaths occurred among infants under one year of age in King County. The average rate in the past 5 years (2002-2006) was lower in East Region than in Seattle, South Region, and the County and similar to North Region.

Since the 1980s, infant mortality rates have declined for whites, African Americans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. (Figure 3) Rates for other racial/ethnic groups remained level over the same time period (data not shown). The average infant mortality rate over the years 1992-2006 was consistently higher for African Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives. The rate for American Indian/ Alaska Natives varies widely year to year due to small population size. Trends in infant deaths for smaller populations are difficult to evaluate statistically when the number of births and deaths is relatively small. The average for 2003-2006 among American Indian/Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders is less than 5 deaths per year. This makes the rates statistically unstable among these groups.

While infant mortality has generally declined, rates remain highest in high poverty areas. (Figure 4) In King County, rates have declined in all age groups, although differences persist by mother’s age. Between 2002 and 2006, the average infant mortality rate among women ages 20-39 was 4.1 per 1,000 live births. For the same period, the average rate for children born to women under 20 years old was 7.4 and for women ages 40 and older, 7.6 (data not shown).

Data Source and Limitations

Data was contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org).  Birth and death data are from the Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. Poverty level groupings are based on annual household income reported in the 2000 U.S. Census, and these groupings represent the proportion of residents living below the federal poverty level at that time. For a family of four, the poverty threshold was $17,029 in 1999 and $20,614 in 2006.

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