Nearly half of Americans live with high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, contributed to nearly 700,000 deaths in 2021 and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Stacker used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine the boroughs with the highest rates of high blood pressure in Alaska as of 2021. Ties are broken by the share of the population on blood pressure medication. For boroughs that ranked in the top 200 nationally, their national rank for high blood pressure prevalence is also included.
The Southeast has the highest rates of high blood pressure. Racial disparities underscore these geographical trends, as about 40% of Black people across the U.S. have high blood pressure. Social determinants of health, including access to health care and fresh foods, have contributed to higher rates.
Guidelines for doctors have also limited the types of high blood pressure medication available to Black patients, a paradigm which is now starting to shift as recent studies have pointed out the flaws of race-based prescribing for hypertension.
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Emma Rubin // Stacker
1 / 26State-level statistics
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology in 2017 updated high blood pressure guidelines for the first time since 2003. Any reading of 130/80 and above is now considered hypertensive.
Blood pressure is measured using two numbers: systolic and diastolic pressure. The systolic reading examines the arteries when the heart is beating, while the diastolic reading examines them while the heart rests. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80.
Diet is a major driver of high blood pressure, with salty foods and low-potassium diets connected to hypertension. Other lifestyle choices play a part, too, including drinking and smoking. The CDC says heredity also likely plays some role in hypertension risk.
For people who have hypertension, limiting high-risk foods and behaviors, taking medication recommended by doctors, and regularly monitoring their blood pressure with a cuff can prevent more severe incidents.
Read on to see the boroughs in Alaska with the highest rates of hypertension.
#25. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 27.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.7% (53.3% of those with high blood pressure)
#24. Anchorage Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 27.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.4% (52.1% of those with high blood pressure)
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4 / 26#23. Denali Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 27.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.8% (53.6% of those with high blood pressure)
#22. Kodiak Island Borough
#21. Haines Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 28.4%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.0% (52.8% of those with high blood pressure)
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7 / 26#20. Bristol Bay Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 28.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.2% (49.6% of those with high blood pressure)
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8 / 26#19. Fairbanks North Star Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 28.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.7% (51.5% of those with high blood pressure)
#18. Aleutians West Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 29.3%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.4% (52.6% of those with high blood pressure)
#17. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 29.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 14.9% (50.4% of those with high blood pressure)
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#16. Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 29.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.0% (50.8% of those with high blood pressure)
#15. Wrangell Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 29.9%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.2% (50.9% of those with high blood pressure)
#14. Copper River Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 29.9%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.2% (50.9% of those with high blood pressure)
#13. Hoonah-Angoon Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 30.3%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.7% (51.7% of those with high blood pressure)
#12. Southeast Fairbanks Borough
#11. Yakutat Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 30.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.5% (50.9% of those with high blood pressure)
#10. Dillingham Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 30.9%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 15.7% (50.9% of those with high blood pressure)
#9. Lake and Peninsula Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 31.0%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 16.1% (52.0% of those with high blood pressure)
#8. Prince of Wales-Hyder Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 31.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 16.5% (52.3% of those with high blood pressure)
#7. Aleutians East Borough
#6. North Slope Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 32.8%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 16.2% (49.3% of those with high blood pressure)
#5. Nome Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 33.0%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 17.0% (51.6% of those with high blood pressure)
#4. Northwest Arctic Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 33.8%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 17.6% (52.1% of those with high blood pressure)
#3. Yukon-Koyukuk Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.9%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 18.0% (51.7% of those with high blood pressure)
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26 / 26#1. Kusilvak Borough
- Adults with high blood pressure: 40.8% (#179 highest nationally)
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.0% (54.0% of those with high blood pressure)
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
