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Data Executive Summary

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Read Next in Sonoma County Summary Measures of Health 2015-2017: 
Demographics and Social Characteristics

Average Life Expectancy

2015-2017 Findings

Sonoma County:
  • 81.6 years 
California:
  • 81.5 years 
United States:
  • 78.6 years  

Comparison to Prior Data

  • U.S. life expectancy decreased for 3rd year in row
  • Sonoma County life expectancy remained stable

Disparities

Sex:
  • Women live 4 years longer than men 
Geographic:
  • Life expectancy varies across Sonoma County by 4 years
  • Residents of Healdsburg and Sebastopol-West County live longest
Race/ethnicity:
  • Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino residents live 6-7 years longer than American Indian/Alaska Native, African American and white, non-Hispanic residents of the county  

Leading Causes of Premature Death

2015-2017 Findings

 Leading Causes:
  1. Cancer
  2. Unintentional injury
  3. Heart disease
  4. Suicide
  5. Chronic liver disease
  6. Diabetes
  7. Chronic lower respiratory disease
  8. Stroke 

Comparison to Prior Data

  • The leading causes of premature death in Sonoma County have not changed since 2013-15

Disparities

Sex:
  • Men had higher rates of premature death than did women for all leading causes, except cancer
Geographic:
  • Cloverdale and Geyserville and the Russian River area had the highest premature death rates; Petaluma and Sebastopol-West County had the lowest
Race/ethnicity:
  • American Indian/Alaska Native residents had the highest premature death rates; Hispanic/Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander residents had the lowest

Rates of Premature Death

2015-2017 Findings

  • Sonoma County premature death rate: 4473.7 Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) prior to age 75 per 100,000 people
  • This rate is lower than that of California or the U.S.

Comparison to Prior Data 

Overall:
  • Premature death rates decreased significantly from 2005-2007 to 2012-2014 then increased from 2012-2014 to 2015-2017
Unintentional Injury:
  • After a prior decrease, deaths from unintentional injuries increased 33% from 2011-2013 to 2014-2016 largely due to an increase in unintentional drug overdoses. No significant changes were seen between 2014-2016 to 2015-2017.
 
Drug Poisoning:
  • After remaining relatively constant from 2005-2011, the premature death rate for unintentional drug poisoning increased by over 55% from 2011-2013 to 2014-2016, following a national trend. There was no significant change in the county rate from 2014-2016 to 2015-2017.
Unintentional motor vehicle collision:
  • Following a 63% decrease between 2005-2013, the rate of motor vehicle collisions increased significantly (more than doubled) from 2011-2013 to 2015-2017. Despite the recent increase, the 2015-2017 rate remains significantly lower than the 2005-2007 rate.
Suicide:
  • The premature death rate for suicide increased by 32% (significantly) from 2011-2013 to 2015-2017, mirroring a national trend

Disparities

 Sex:
  • The premature death rate for men increased significantly driving the increase in the overall premature death rate in the county 
Race/ethnicity:
  • The premature death rate for African American/Black residents decreased about 48% from 2005-2007 to 2014-2016 but the rate did not change significantly from 2014-2016 to 2015-2017.
  • The premature death rate for Hispanic/Latinos decreased by 28% from 2005-2007 to 2013-2015 but increased significantly in 2014-2016 and again in 2015-2017.