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The Brazil is included among the 22 countries that contain 80% of existing cases of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, ie one third of the world population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This allocates the category of offense TB infection that kills the world. It is estimated annually about 50 million infected with the bacillus, with 111,000 new cases and 6,000 deaths. There in the State of 22 cities considered priorities for the National Tuberculosis Control. Among other factors, increased poverty, unequal income distribution, urbanization, famine and misery to corroborate the existence of a higher rates of TB, as well as higher morbidity and mortality. Therefore, this study aimed to address the socio-epidemiological study of TB in the state of Maranhão. Materials and methods: Epidemiological study of a retrospective series conducted in the State of Maranhão, through secondary data on 2005-2011. The data sources were System of Disease Notification and publication of the National Health Foundation Results: In the period covered, have been reported in Maranhão 18 811 (X = 2687) confirmed cases of TB, and 11,419 (60.70%) cases were male and 7,392 (39.30%) female cases. This shows a sex ratio of 1,54:1. The curve is upward prevalence of TB by 2005 (n = 3382), which represents the inflection point from which the rate slowly decays to a minimum of 2389 (12.70%) in 2011. The fall of 29.36% in this short space of time reflects a substantial change in public policies aimed at the subject and expand your network and effectively through the active search for treatment of patients diagnosed. Throughout the period there is a significant relationship between education and TB, marked deviation to the left, with 18.13% illiterate, 25.25% in the range of 1st to 4th grade, all other intervals of schooling remain with little change (X = 5.08), except for the 5th to 8th grade, when there is a new peak of 16.00%. The lower prevalence in higher education occurs when incomplete. Blacks and browns represent respectively 15.15% and 62.62% of the reported cases, accounting for 16 white, 76%, Indians 2.01% to 1.46% and yellows. Conclusion: In addition to strictly biological aspects related to infection, TB assumes peculiar characteristics by conditioning lifestyles, family structures reorient and territories in the communities where they have a higher prevalence. Why be transmitted via droplets, close contact of people in an unhealthy environment, with poor medical-sanitary conditions, health education and lifestyles potentially harmful virtually extends far transmissibility of the disease. There was greater compared to the black male race and low education, group subjected to poor living conditions and work, is an important risk group TB.