The Most Surprising Cause of Death in Michigan Is . . .

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Heart disease, cancer and respiratory illnesses regularly top the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual tally of the leading causes of death among Americans.

But at the state level, the story is different.

In Michigan, heart disease, cancer and respiratory illnesses are still killers, but Michiganders are also more likely than the average American to die of an assault, which was indexed to 1.94 times the national average, according to an analysis by HealthGrove, a data-driven health news and information site.

The analysis showed deadly regional trends. Assault also is the most over-indexed cause of death in Illinois (indexed to 1.93 times the national average), but among Michigan’s closest neighbors, there were some differences.

• Indiana: Anemias, indexed to 1.90 times the national average.
• Ohio: Accidental poisoning and exposure to noxious chemicals, indexed to 1.64 times the national average.
• Wisconsin: Falls, indexed to 1.72 times the national average.

As of 2014, assault is also the most over-indexed cause of death in many states in the South. In the states of Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Maryland, assault was the most over-indexed cause of death.

On the West Coast, hepatitis prevails and in mountain region states, suicide is the most over-indexed.