In 19 States and the District of Columbia, there is a State chief ME who is responsible for the investigation of deaths for the entire State. The chief ME is usually appointed and must be a licensed physician with training in pathology. Deputy or County ME's are usually appointed by the chief ME or the County board. Three States have County of district ME's but no chief ME. In 12 States, district or County coroners are responsible for death investigations, coroners are elected, and there usually are no specific statutory training requirements. In 13 States, there is a mixed ME/C system in which no one person has supervisory responsibility for the State. Because many States still have County-based systems, there are approximately 2,000 separate death investigation jurisdictions in the country. Results demonstrate the variability with which deaths are investigated in different State and local jurisdictions. Survey information on the operation of these differing systems can facilitate information exchange and improve the utility of systems in providing data for surveillance and evaluation in public health areas. 1 table, 1 figure, and 12 references.