Infant Mortality

• Counties in the St. Croix River Valley, generally had lower infant mortality rates than their respective states; Burnett County is the obvious exception and, because of its relatively small number of births each year (7 in 2017), even one death of an infant is likely to put it well above the Wisconsin average.
• The infant mortality rate in Wisconsin is nearly one-third higher than in Minnesota.

• In most years, the Wisconsin counties in the St. Croix River Valley have had lower infant mortality rates than the state average.
• There is not an obvious trend in the infant mortality rate in Wisconsin or the St. Croix River Valley counties
• Because there are relatively small numbers of births in any given county in a given year, the infant mortality rate is powerfully affected by the death of even a single infant, which is why there is so much volatility displayed in this graph.

• Infant mortality rates appear to be trending downward in Minnesota, Washington County and Chisago County.
• Washington County has almost always had a lower infant mortality rate than the state average.
• The infant mortality rate in Chisago County, in part because if its smaller population base, has been much more volatile, but has consistently been below the Minnesota average since 2014.

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