Iowa has the highest cancer rates in the world.
Posted by The Joe Rogan Experience, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 88%
The Joe Rogan ExperienceNov 6, 2026
Multiple tier1 and primary sources say Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence in the U.S., behind Kentucky, so it is not the highest. The sources do not rank countries worldwide, but the claim's 'highest in the world' framing is contradicted by the U.S. ranking, and the claim was accurate to the post's wording as of 2026-11-06.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Look at him on the left. Look at the side of his face. That is fucking insane. We're hitting a precipice right now because, you know, the top issue in Iowa right now is that they have the highest cancer rates in the world. So, you know, this is happening. Australia has the highest cancer rates in the world. Any geographic location in the history of human civilization across the world, Iowa and Kentucky and other U.S. …
The Joe Rogan Experience · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Reuters reports Iowa's cancer rate is the second highest in the country behind Kentucky, and has been second-highest since 2023.[1]
Contradicts. The Iowa HHS states Iowa has the second highest cancer incidence rate in the U.S., and the AP reports the same ranking.[2][3]
Contradicts. The State Cancer Profiles and the Iowa Cancer Registry's 2025 report both show Iowa with the second highest age-adjusted cancer incidence, with Iowa's all-sites rate (504.1) above the U.S. rate (453.4) but still behind the top-ranked state.[4][5]
Context. The Cass Health CEO's quote in the Reuters-syndicated coverage says Iowa ranks second behind Kentucky and 'will overtake them' to become No. 1, which confirms Iowa was not first at the time.[6]
Context. Sources describe Iowa's rates as high and rising, which supports a concern about cancer in the state, but none supports a first-place ranking, whether in the U.S. or the world.[7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 3 primary, 3 not rated
- 1Soaring cancer rates in Iowa emerge as a key US midterms issuereuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Iowa faces a reckoning over water quality and cancer rates in midterm campaignsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 3Cancer in Iowa | Health & Human Serviceshhs.iowa.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 4Quick Profiles: Iowa - State Cancer Profilesstatecancerprofiles.cancer.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 5CANCER IN IOWAshri.public-health.uiowa.edu · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 6Iowa's cancer rates are rising as the nation's fall. Families want answers.rmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7Iowa Cancer Rates Continue to Rise, Largely Driven by Prostate and ...pressroom.cancer.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 8Annual report finds Iowa cancer rates remain some of the ...iowapublicradio.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post