States With the Highest Mesothelioma Rates: 2026 Asbestos Exposure Hotspot Map

CDC WONDER data spanning 1999-2020 documents 54,905 mesothelioma deaths across the United States, with Maine recording the nation's highest death rate at 17 per million population—more than triple the national average—driven by decades of shipyard asbestos exposure at Bath Iron Works and other industrial sites.^[8]

What Are the Key Facts About Mesothelioma Rates by State?

Which States Have the Highest Mesothelioma Death Rates Per Capita?

CDC WONDER data from 1999-2020 reveals that mesothelioma death rates vary dramatically by state, with per-capita rates most closely correlating to historical concentrations of shipbuilding, heavy manufacturing, and mining operations.^[8] The top 10 states by death rate per million population are:

1. Maine — 17 Deaths Per Million (490 Total)

Maine's position atop the national rankings is driven almost entirely by shipbuilding. Bath Iron Works, one of the nation's largest shipyards, employed tens of thousands of workers who handled asbestos insulation, pipe lagging, and fireproofing materials on naval vessels. OSHA inspections found asbestos dust concentrations as high as 40% in some work areas as late as 1987—years after federal regulations should have eliminated such hazards.^[9]

"Maine's mesothelioma rate tells the story of an entire state built on shipbuilding. Workers at Bath Iron Works were surrounded by asbestos every shift, and many brought contaminated clothing home to their families. The exposure was pervasive and the consequences are still unfolding decades later."

2. Pennsylvania — 13 Deaths Per Million (3,488 Total)

Pennsylvania's high rate reflects its dual industrial legacy: massive steel production centered in Pittsburgh and heavy railroad manufacturing across the state. Steel mills like U.S. Steel's Gary Works used asbestos extensively in blast furnaces, coke ovens, and rolling mills. The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard added thousands of additional exposure cases through naval vessel construction and repair.^[1]

3. West Virginia — 13 Deaths Per Million (530 Total)

Coal mining and power generation drive West Virginia's elevated rate. Power plants burning West Virginia coal used asbestos insulation throughout their boiler systems, turbines, and steam pipes. Mining equipment and underground installations also contained asbestos components, exposing miners throughout their careers.

4-5. Delaware & Montana — 12 Deaths Per Million Each

Delaware's rate stems from chemical manufacturing and port operations along the Delaware River, where DuPont and other manufacturers operated asbestos-laden facilities for decades. Montana's rate is dominated by the Libby vermiculite mining disaster, where W.R. Grace's mining operation contaminated an entire community. The EPA Libby Asbestos Superfund site documented 694 deaths and over 2,400 diagnosed residents — mortality rates 40-60 times the national average.

6-10. Washington, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon (11-12 Deaths Per Million)

These states share overlapping industrial profiles that each created distinct exposure pathways. Washington's rate of 12 per million reflects the massive workforce at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton and decades of Boeing aerospace manufacturing where asbestos appeared in aircraft brakes, heat shields, and insulation. Massachusetts (1,642 deaths, 11/million) combines a deep shipbuilding heritage in cities like Quincy and Boston with extensive textile mill exposure across the state. Minnesota (1,285 deaths, 11/million) presents a unique case where iron ore and taconite mining operations on the Iron Range exposed miners to naturally occurring asbestiform minerals found alongside ore deposits. New Jersey (2,129 deaths, 11/million) anchors one end of the Delaware Valley petrochemical corridor, where oil refineries and chemical plants in communities from Newark to Camden generated sustained occupational exposure for maintenance crews and operators. Oregon (927 deaths, 11/million) owes its elevated rate largely to World War II-era shipbuilding operations in Portland, where Kaiser Shipyards employed over 90,000 workers building Liberty and Victory ships with asbestos-insulated components.^[2]

Which States Lead in Total Mesothelioma Deaths?

Absolute death counts tell a different story than per-capita rates, because large-population states naturally accumulate more total cases even when their rates per million are moderate. The five states with the highest total mesothelioma deaths from 1999-2020 are:^[5]

California (5,484 deaths) leads the nation in absolute deaths despite not ranking in the top 10 for per-capita rates. The state's enormous population, combined with naval shipyard operations at Mare Island, Hunters Point, and Long Beach, plus naturally occurring asbestos in 45 of 58 counties, produces the highest raw numbers. Florida (3,676 deaths) ranks second, partly because many retirees from high-exposure industrial states relocated there before developing symptoms. Pennsylvania (3,488 deaths) ranks high on both measures. New York (2,981 deaths) reflects the Brooklyn Navy Yard's massive World War II workforce and industrial exposure across the state. Texas (2,900 deaths) is driven by Gulf Coast petrochemical and refining operations.

"The difference between rate and total deaths matters for patients. If you worked in California shipyards or Texas refineries, the lower per-capita rate does not reduce your individual risk. What matters is your personal exposure history—which industries, which products, and how long."

Which U.S. Counties Are Mesothelioma Hotspots?

County-level data pinpoints the specific communities where industrial operations created concentrated mesothelioma clusters. These localized hotspots often reflect a single dominant employer or industrial complex.

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (2.6 per 100,000 incidence) tops the county rankings due to its concentration of petrochemical plants and shipyard operations along the Mississippi River. Workers in Avondale Shipyards and surrounding chemical facilities faced sustained asbestos exposure spanning decades.

Jackson County, Mississippi (2.4 per 100,000) is dominated by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, one of the largest military shipbuilders in the United States. Ingalls built destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and other naval vessels using asbestos-containing materials throughout the mid-20th century.

Kitsap County, Washington (2.4 per 100,000) is home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Pacific Fleet's primary maintenance and repair facility. Thousands of civilian workers and military personnel were exposed to asbestos during ship overhauls and nuclear submarine maintenance.^[2]

New London County, Connecticut records the nation's highest county-level death rate at 2.2 per 100,000, with an incidence rate of 2.1 per 100,000. The Naval Submarine Base New London and Electric Boat Corporation (a General Dynamics subsidiary) built and maintained submarines packed with asbestos insulation in confined spaces.

Gloucester County, New Jersey (2.3 per 100,000) reflects the Delaware Valley's oil refining operations, where refinery workers handled asbestos gaskets, insulation, and fireproofing materials throughout their careers.

"When I see county-level data showing rates 5 to 10 times the national average, it confirms what we already know from working with families in these communities. An entire town's health was sacrificed because one shipyard or one mine used asbestos without adequate protections. These are not random statistics—they represent real families who lost husbands, fathers, and grandfathers."

What Industries Drive the Highest Mesothelioma Rates?

The geographic distribution of mesothelioma deaths maps directly to specific industries that used asbestos most heavily from the 1940s through the 1980s. Understanding which industries operated in your state or county is essential for identifying exposure sources and building a legal claim.^[1]

Shipbuilding and Naval Shipyards

Shipyard work remains the single largest contributor to U.S. mesothelioma cases. Approximately 33% of all mesothelioma patients are Navy veterans or former shipyard workers. Naval vessels were insulated with asbestos from bow to stern—boiler rooms, engine rooms, sleeping quarters, and mess halls all contained asbestos materials. Workers who built, repaired, and overhauled these ships inhaled asbestos fibers daily. States with major shipyards—Maine, Virginia, Washington, Connecticut, Massachusetts—consistently rank among the highest mesothelioma death rates.^[2]

Steel Production and Heavy Manufacturing

Steel mills used asbestos in blast furnace linings, coke oven insulation, ladles, and rolling mill equipment. Pennsylvania's steel industry, anchored by Pittsburgh-area mills, generated thousands of mesothelioma cases. The $250 million verdict against U.S. Steel's Gary Works in Indiana stands as the largest single-plaintiff asbestos verdict in U.S. history, underscoring the scale of exposure in this industry.

Mining Operations

Vermiculite mining in Libby, Montana created one of America's worst environmental health disasters. The W.R. Grace mine produced vermiculite contaminated with tremolite asbestos, and mine workers, their families, and community residents were all exposed. Minnesota's iron and taconite mining operations exposed workers to naturally occurring asbestiform minerals found in geological formations alongside ore deposits.

Petrochemical and Oil Refining

Refineries and chemical plants used asbestos insulation, gaskets, and fireproofing throughout their facilities. New Jersey's petrochemical corridor, Texas Gulf Coast operations, and Delaware River chemical manufacturing all generated sustained occupational exposure for maintenance workers, operators, and contractors.^[1]

Coal Mining and Power Generation

West Virginia's coal industry and the power plants it supplied used asbestos in boiler insulation, steam pipes, turbine housings, and electrical components. Power plant workers, coal miners, and maintenance personnel faced chronic exposure throughout their careers. The combination of confined underground spaces in mines and poorly ventilated boiler rooms in power plants created conditions where airborne asbestos fiber concentrations far exceeded safety limits that were eventually established by OSHA in subsequent decades.^[9]

Construction and Building Trades

Construction workers across all high-rate states encountered asbestos in building materials including floor tiles, ceiling tiles, roofing shingles, cement pipe, joint compounds, and spray-applied fireproofing. Insulators, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters who worked in commercial and residential construction from the 1940s through the 1980s routinely disturbed asbestos-containing materials without respiratory protection. The long-term health effects of asbestos exposure in construction are well documented, with insulation workers facing the highest risk among all building trades.^[3]

How Does Naturally Occurring Asbestos Affect State Mesothelioma Rates?

Beyond occupational exposure, naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) deposits contribute to mesothelioma cases in several states. California is the most significant example, with NOA identified in 45 of its 58 counties. El Dorado Hills, east of Sacramento, is the most extensively studied NOA site in the nation, where asbestos fibers become airborne through soil disturbance during construction, gardening, and natural erosion.^[10]

NOA also affects parts of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and other states with ultramafic rock formations that naturally contain chrysotile and amphibole asbestos minerals. Residents in these areas face exposure risks that are difficult to identify because they occur outside traditional workplace settings. The EPA Superfund site locator can help residents determine whether they live near known asbestos contamination areas.^[7]

What Should Mesothelioma Patients in High-Rate States Do Now?

If you live in or previously worked in one of the states or counties identified in this analysis, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, several steps are critical.

Act quickly on legal deadlines. Statutes of limitations for mesothelioma lawsuits vary by state, ranging from one to six years from the date of diagnosis. States like Texas and Louisiana impose a two-year deadline, while others like Maine allow six years. Missing your state's filing deadline permanently eliminates your right to file a lawsuit, regardless of how strong your case may be. Consulting an attorney within days of diagnosis—not weeks or months—protects your legal rights.

Document your exposure history. Record every job you held, every worksite you entered, and every product you handled that may have contained asbestos. This information is the foundation of both medical treatment decisions and legal claims. Pay particular attention to shipyard work, refinery operations, steel mill employment, mining, and construction trades.^[3]

Identify secondary exposure risks. Family members of workers in high-rate states also face mesothelioma risk. Spouses who laundered asbestos-contaminated work clothing, and children who hugged parents returning from shipyards and factories, have developed mesothelioma decades later. If a family member worked in any of the industries listed above, everyone in the household may have grounds for a claim.

"Every week I speak with families who did not realize they had legal options until time was running out. If you worked in shipbuilding, refining, mining, or construction in any of these high-rate states, do not wait to explore your rights. The exposure happened decades ago, but your legal clock starts ticking at diagnosis."

Pursue all compensation pathways. Mesothelioma patients may be eligible for multiple forms of compensation simultaneously. Personal injury lawsuits target the companies responsible for your exposure. Asbestos trust funds hold over $30 billion in remaining compensation from bankrupt manufacturers. Military veterans can claim VA disability benefits for service-connected asbestos exposure. These pathways are not mutually exclusive — pursuing all of them maximizes total recovery.

Seek specialized medical care. Mesothelioma requires treatment from oncologists who specialize in this rare cancer. Major treatment centers offer multimodal approaches combining surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy that general oncologists may not provide. Early access to clinical trials can also offer treatment options not yet widely available.^[11]

Take our free mesothelioma compensation quiz to identify potential compensation sources based on your exposure history. Or find a mesothelioma lawyer in your state for a confidential case evaluation at no cost.

"The states with the highest mesothelioma rates share one thing in common: industries that put production ahead of worker safety for decades. At Danziger & De Llano, we have spent years building cases against these companies, and we understand the specific exposure patterns in shipyards, refineries, and mines across the country. No matter which state you were exposed in, we can help."

References

1. 1. Occupational Exposure Index — WikiMesothelioma
2. 2. Shipyard Exposure Index — WikiMesothelioma
3. 3. Asbestos Health Effects — WikiMesothelioma
4. 4. Mesothelioma Mortality in the United States — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
5. 5. SEER Cancer Statistics Explorer: Mesothelioma — National Cancer Institute
6. 6. U.S. Federal Bans on Asbestos — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
7. 7. Search Superfund Sites Where You Live — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
8. 8. CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death Database — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
9. 9. OSHA Asbestos Standards — Occupational Safety and Health Administration
10. 10. Toxicological Profile for Asbestos — Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
11. 11. Mesothelioma Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version — National Cancer Institute
12. 12. VA Asbestos Exposure Eligibility — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
13. 13. Global Mesothelioma Incidence and Mortality Trends: A Systematic Analysis — Journal of Thoracic Oncology (2023)
14. 14. EPA Libby Asbestos Superfund Site — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency