Jefferson Davis County has been named as one of the counties with the highest cancer rates in the State of Mississippi.

Stacker recently compiled the 50 counties with the highest cancer rates in the state using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

JDC came in at number three in the state just behind Tishomingo at two and Yalobusha at number one.

County-level data is only available for the five-year time period from 2016-2020.

Rates are the number of cases or deaths per 100,000 people and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.

During those years, the cancer rate per 100,000 in Jefferson Davis County was 738.7. The age-adjusted rate per 100,000 was 490.9.

According to the CDC, in Jefferson Davis County, from 2016-2020, there were 413 new cases of cancer. For every 100,000 people, 491 cancer cases were reported.

Over those years, there were 157 people who died of cancer. For every 100,000 people in Jefferson Davis County, 180 died of cancer.

Lung and Bronchus cancer was the highest noted in the county with 68 new cases and 36 deaths in the five-year period. This is 72 cases for every 100,000 people. Colon and Rectum came in with 55 cases, 69 cases per 100,000, and less than 16 deaths. Rates and counts are suppressed if fewer than 16 cases or deaths were reported in a specific category. There were 54 cases of Prostate cancer with less than 16 deaths. For every 100,000 men, 132 Prostate cancer cases were reported.

Female Breast Cancer in the county recorded 50 cases, 104 per 100,000, with less than 16 deaths. Sixteen Oral Cavity and Pharynx cases were reported with less than 16 deaths.  All other types of cancer in the county were repressed.

Several factors contribute to cancer rates, from personal habits and genetics to air pollution or groundwater quality in a given area. People experiencing social, economic, or environmental disadvantages are disproportionately affected by high cancer rates in certain regions—including access or barriers to early screening and care.

Cancer rates also fluctuate by jobs. Higher rates of cancer can be found among meat industry and rubber manufacturing workers and farmers.

Neighboring counties on the list are Covington at number 11, Marion at 14 Lawrence at 27

and Simpson at 38.