The Death Index - $500 Reward

[Hank Green]

Remember that idea I had, back in the day? The Brain Crack? About causes of death?

It's easy to find out what the leading causes of death in America are. Of course, cancer and heart disease are right at the top of the list.

But, assuming that immortality is not the goal (I know, we like to think big here in Nerdfighteria, but let's just assume that it's not for now) I want to know not what kills people, but what decreases life span the most.

So what is the Death Index?

The average life expectancy in the US is currently 78. If someone dies of a disease when they are 78 or older, we can say "well, that person did pretty well...lived as long as the average person, it sucks, but it's not the end of the world." And thus, that death does not count toward the death index.

If that person died of a heart attack, then heart attacks get 0 points on the death index.

However, if that person died of a heart attack when they were 60, heart attacks would get 18 points. If they died in a car accident when they were 30, car accidents would get 48 points.

Of course, there's no use in trying to get data for every single person who died in the last year in America.

But I want to know these numbers, and no matter where I look I can't find them. It would be a matter of fairly simple math if I could find the average age at which people die in car accidents...the average age at which people die from heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, drug overdoses, shootings, cancer, etc.

Where can I find these data? Please please please help me. I've had this brain crack for almost a decade and it's wearing on me. I will give a $500 reward to the first person who can find me the data and calculate a fairly accurate Death Index with those data.

Please...it hurts my brain.

[Don VanDemark]

I realized that the original link I published is for editing purposes. You can view it and edit it that way, but if someone else is editing, I believe you're watching them edit.

This is the link to just view the data, sorted by Death Index.
View of the Death Index data

[Don VanDemark]

Using the data listed by others, I created a Google spreadsheet.
Hank Green's Death Index
Anyone should feel free to modify and improve. I'm not looking for the reward since I'm building on what the others have found. There is a Notes page in there that explains a little of the workings behind the data.

I can also turn this into an interactive web page but did not know if it was wanted.

[msbandgroupie]

Also, this would also probably be useful http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality/lcwk1.htm

[msbandgroupie]

If you play around on here long enough, you could probably figure some of it out: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm I'll work on creating a death index though and get back to you :)

[K-19]

You are seriously willing to pay for this information? I wish I could help, it would make a dent in this semester's tuition.