In 2023, there were approximately 750.5 deaths by all causes per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. This statistic shows the death rate for all causes in the United States between 1950 and 2023. Causes of death in the U.S. Over the past decades, chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases have come to the forefront of health concerns and have contributed to major causes of death all over the globe. In 2022, the leading cause of death in the U.S. was heart disease, followed by cancer. However, the death rates for both heart disease and cancer have decreased in the U.S. over the past two decades. On the other hand, the number of deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease – which is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease- has increased by almost 141 percent between 2000 and 2021. Risk and lifestyle factors Lifestyle factors play a major role in cardiovascular health and the development of various diseases and conditions. Modifiable lifestyle factors that are known to reduce risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease among people of all ages include smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. An estimated two million new cases of cancer in the U.S. are expected in 2025.

In 2023, the death rate in deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in the United States amounted to ***. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by ***, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023. However, there have been slight changes in the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. from 2018 to 2023. Most notable is that COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, but by 2023 it was the tenth leading cause. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023.

From 2018 to 2023, heart disease and cancer accounted for the highest share of deaths in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death, accounting for around 12 percent of all deaths in 2021. However, by 2023, COVID-19 was responsible for only 1.6 percent of deaths, making it the tenth leading cause of death. This statistic shows the distribution of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023.

2018 to 2020, 3-year average. Rates are age-standardized. County rates are spatially smoothed. The data can be viewed by sex and race/ethnicity. Data source: National Vital Statistics System. Additional data, maps, and methodology can be viewed on the Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease-stroke-atlas/about/index.html

Data on death rates for suicide, by selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System (NVSS); Grove RD, Hetzel AM. Vital statistics rates in the United States, 1940–1960. National Center for Health Statistics. 1968; numerator data from NVSS annual public-use Mortality Files; denominator data from U.S. Census Bureau national population estimates; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Arias E, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. For more information on the National Vital Statistics System, see the corresponding Appendix entry at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-appendix-508.pdf.

2018 - 2020, county-level U.S. stroke death rates. Dataset developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.Create maps of U.S. stroke death rates by county. Data can be stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and sex.Visit the CDC/DHDSP Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke for additional data and maps. Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourceMortality data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System. Bridged-Race Postcensal Population Estimates were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: I60-I69; underlying cause of death.Data DictionaryData for counties with small populations are not displayed when a reliable rate could not be generated. These counties are represented in the data with values of '-1.' CDC/DHDSP excludes these values when classifying the data on a map, indicating those counties as 'Insufficient Data.'Data field names and descriptionsstcty_fips: state FIPS code + county FIPS codeOther fields use the following format: RRR_S_aaaa (e.g., API_M_35UP)  RRR: 3 digits represent race/ethnicity    All - Overall    AIA - American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic    API - Asian and Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic    BLK - Black, non-Hispanic    HIS - Hispanic    WHT - White, non-Hispanic  S: 1 digit represents sex    A - All    F - Female    M - Male  aaaa: 4 digits represent age. The first 2 digits are the lower bound for age and the last 2 digits are the upper bound for age. 'UP' indicates the data includes the maximum age available and 'LT' indicates ages less than the upper bound. Example: The column 'BLK_M_65UP' displays rates per 100,000 black men aged 65 years and older.MethodologyRates are calculated using a 3-year average and are age-standardized in 10-year age groups using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are calculated and displayed per 100,000 population. Rates were spatially smoothed using a Local Empirical Bayes algorithm to stabilize risk by borrowing information from neighboring geographic areas, making estimates more statistically robust and stable for counties with small populations. Data for counties with small populations are coded as '-1' when a reliable rate could not be generated. County-level rates were generated when the following criteria were met over a 3-year time period within each of the filters (e.g., age, race, and sex).At least one of the following 3 criteria:At least 20 events occurred within the county and its adjacent neighbors.ORAt least 16 events occurred within the county.ORAt least 5,000 population years within the county.AND all 3 of the following criteria:At least 6 population years for each age group used for age adjustment if that age group had 1 or more event.The number of population years in an age group was greater than the number of events.At least 100 population years within the county.More Questions?Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourcesStatistical Methods

2016 to 2018, 3-year average. Rates are age-standardized. County rates are spatially smoothed. The data can be viewed by sex and race/ethnicity. Data source: National Vital Statistics System. Additional data, maps, and methodology can be viewed on the Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease-stroke-atlas/about/index.html

Create maps of U.S. heart disease death rates by county. Data can be stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and sex. Visit the CDC/DHDSP Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke for additional data and maps. Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourceMortality data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System. Bridged-Race Postcensal Population Estimates were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: I00-I09, I11, I13, I20-I51; underlying cause of death.Data DictionaryData for counties with small populations are not displayed when a reliable rate could not be generated. These counties are represented in the data with values of '-1.' CDC/DHDSP excludes these values when classifying the data on a map, indicating those counties as 'Insufficient Data.' Data field names and descriptionsstcty_fips: state FIPS code + county FIPS codeOther fields use the following format: RRR_S_aaaa (e.g., API_M_35UP)   RRR: 3 digits represent race/ethnicity     All - Overall     AIA - American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic     API - Asian and Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic     BLK - Black, non-Hispanic     HIS - Hispanic     WHT - White, non-Hispanic   S: 1 digit represents sex     A - All    F - Female     M - Male aaaa: 4 digits represent age. The first 2 digits are the lower bound for age and the last 2 digits are the upper bound for age. 'UP' indicates the data includes the maximum age available and 'LT' indicates ages less than the upper bound.  Example: The column 'BLK_M_65UP' displays rates per 100,000 black men aged 65 years and older.MethodologyRates are calculated using a 3-year average and are age-standardized in 10-year age groups using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are calculated and displayed per 100,000 population. Rates were spatially smoothed using a Local Empirical Bayes algorithm to stabilize risk by borrowing information from neighboring geographic areas, making estimates more statistically robust and stable for counties with small populations. Data for counties with small populations are coded as '-1' when a reliable rate could not be generated. County-level rates were generated when the following criteria were met over a 3-year time period within each of the filters (e.g., age, race, and sex).At least one of the following 3 criteria: At least 20 events occurred within the county and its adjacent neighbors.ORAt least 16 events occurred within the county.ORAt least 5,000 population years within the county.AND all 3 of the following criteria:At least 6 population years for each age group used for age adjustment if that age group had 1 or more event.The number of population years in an age group was greater than the number of events.At least 100 population years within the county.More Questions?Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourcesStatistical Methods

Women 40 years and over have the highest rates of maternal mortality in the United States. In 2023, the rate of maternal mortality among this age group was around 60 per 100,000 live births. This statistic presents maternal mortality rates in the United States from 2018 to 2023, by age group.

Create maps of U.S. stroke death rates by county. Data can be stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and sex. Visit the CDC/DHDSP Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke for additional data and maps. Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourceMortality data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System. Bridged-Race Postcensal Population Estimates were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: I60-I69; underlying cause of death.Data DictionaryData for counties with small populations are not displayed when a reliable rate could not be generated. These counties are represented in the data with values of '-1.' CDC/DHDSP excludes these values when classifying the data on a map, indicating those counties as 'Insufficient Data.' Data field names and descriptionsstcty_fips: state FIPS code + county FIPS codeOther fields use the following format: RRR_S_aaaa (e.g., API_M_35UP)   RRR: 3 digits represent race/ethnicity     All - Overall     AIA - American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic     API - Asian and Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic     BLK - Black, non-Hispanic     HIS - Hispanic     WHT - White, non-Hispanic   S: 1 digit represents sex     A - All    F - Female     M - Male aaaa: 4 digits represent age. The first 2 digits are the lower bound for age and the last 2 digits are the upper bound for age. 'UP' indicates the data includes the maximum age available and 'LT' indicates ages less than the upper bound.  Example: The column 'BLK_M_65UP' displays rates per 100,000 black men aged 65 years and older.MethodologyRates are calculated using a 3-year average and are age-standardized in 10-year age groups using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are calculated and displayed per 100,000 population. Rates were spatially smoothed using a Local Empirical Bayes algorithm to stabilize risk by borrowing information from neighboring geographic areas, making estimates more statistically robust and stable for counties with small populations. Data for counties with small populations are coded as '-1' when a reliable rate could not be generated. County-level rates were generated when the following criteria were met over a 3-year time period within each of the filters (e.g., age, race, and sex).At least one of the following 3 criteria: At least 20 events occurred within the county and its adjacent neighbors.ORAt least 16 events occurred within the county.ORAt least 5,000 population years within the county.AND all 3 of the following criteria:At least 6 population years for each age group used for age adjustment if that age group had 1 or more event.The number of population years in an age group was greater than the number of events.At least 100 population years within the county.More Questions?Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeData SourcesStatistical Methods

Number of deaths and mortality rates, by age group, sex, and place of residence, 1991 to most recent year.

Data on drug overdose death rates, by drug type and selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, numerator data from annual public-use Mortality Files; denominator data from U.S. Census Bureau national population estimates; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Arias E, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. For more information on the National Vital Statistics System, see the corresponding Appendix entry at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-appendix-508.pdf.

2016 to 2018, 3-year average. Rates are age-standardized. County rates are spatially smoothed. The data can be viewed by sex and race/ethnicity. Data source: National Vital Statistics System. Additional data, maps, and methodology can be viewed on the Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease-stroke-atlas/about/index.html

Prayer, Politics, and Policy Related to Age-Adjusted Cancer, Heart Disease, Infant Mortality and COVID-19 Death Rates, U.S. States 2018-2021 Daily Prayer Lipka and Wormald, 2016, Pew Research Center Trump Vote 2016 CNN, 2016 Median family Income/cost of living Moneyrates.com, 2019. Income Inequality (Gini) U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 Physicians Per population National Center for Health Statistics, 2019. Percent Urban U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Unemployment U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016 Public Health Expenditures Per Population National Association of County and City Health Officials, 2019. Age-adjusted Mortality Rates National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, 2018-2021 Infant Mortality Rate National Center for Health Statistics, 2018-2019 Influenza immunizations and fruit consumption Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2024

"Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society. In 2017, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births." For more information, see the US CDC website.Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation ( UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division )
Infant Mortality source: World Bank. See: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN

This dataset contains counts of deaths for California counties based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in each California county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to residents of each California county (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in each county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

This statistic shows the death rate for suicide in the United States in 2018 and 2019, by age. In 2019, there were **** deaths by suicide per 100,000 U.S. Americans aged between 45 and 64 years. The death rate for suicide in the U.S. for males has remained higher than that of females since the *****.

The role of religion and politics in the responses to the coronavirus pandemic raises the question of their influence on the risk of other diseases. This study focuses on age-adjusted death rates of cancer, heart disease, and infant mortality per 1000 live births before the pandemic (2018-2019) and COVID-19 in 2020-2021. Eight hypothesized predictors of health effects were analyzed by examining their correlation to age-adjusted death rates among U.S. states, percentage who pray once or more daily, Republican influence on state health policies as indicated by the percentage vote for Trump in 2016, percent of household incomes below poverty, median family income divided by a cost-of-living index, the Gini income inequality index, urban concentration of the population, physicians per capita, and public health expenditures per capita. Since prayer for divine intervention is common to otherwise diverse religious beliefs and practices, the percentage of people claiming to pray daily in each state was used to indicate potential religious influence. All of the death rates were higher in states where more people claimed to pray daily, and where Trump received a larger percentage of the vote. Except for COVID-19, the death rates were consistently lower in states with higher public health expenditures per capita. Only COVID-19 was correlated to physicians per capita, lower where there were more physicians. Corrected statistically for the other factors, income per cost of living explains no variance. Heart disease and COVID-19 death rates were higher in areas with more income inequality. All of the disease rates were in correlation with more rural populations. Correlation of daily prayer with smoking cigarettes, and neglect of public health recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption and COVID-19 vaccination suggests that prayer may be substituted for preventive practices.