DASH Guide:Median Age at Death

This guide is just part of a larger DASH Data Guide.

The median age at death is calculated for each municipality in Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh neighborhood for 2011-2015. Data is based on the decedent's residence at the time of death, not the location where the death occurred. Median age by municipality is based on “official” death records that have been released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health

What's Included in the Data

Publicly Available

• median age at death
• municipality

Where to Find the Data

• Open Data on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center's Website
• Interactive Map

Things to Know

• Note there is a significant time lag between the time when the death occurs and the publication of the “official” death record.
• This data will be updated once it is made available by the Pennsylvania Health Department.
• When the County notifies the Pennsylvania Department of Health of the death, the data is processed at the state, then returned to the county for analysis. Once the lengthy reporting process is complete, the record becomes “official.”
• Data includes number of deaths and median age at death by race (white and black). Data is also presented in aggregate for all deaths for people of all known and unknown races.
• Where the number of deaths for each racial category is less than five, the median age statistic is suppressed to protect privacy.