Fewest deaths in county since 2019

St. Joseph County in 2023 experienced its fewest deaths since 2019.

The 508 deaths recorded last year were the lowest since 507 registered in 2019, according to Patrick Hansma, from Western Michigan University’s School of Medicine.

Hansma presented the medical examiner’s 2023 report to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week.

For the sake of comparison, there were 562 reported deaths in 2022, meaning the number decreased by 10.6 percent from 2022 to 2023. According to Hansma’s report, 370 of those deceased were cremated.

Of the county’s 171 deaths handled by the medical examiner’s office last year, 124 were by natural causes, 28 were accidental and 15 were by suicide. Also, Hansma reported 93 of the 171 deaths handled by his office were people 65 years of age or older, while 46 were people between the ages of 45 and 64.

In 2023, 10 people died in motor-vehicle crashes in St. Joseph County. That number equals the 2022 total. Meanwhile, eight accidental deaths were drug-related.