What are the leading causes of death in ?

Refreshed annually
The leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and accidents in 2024. Of the 29,192 deaths that year, 13,640, or 47% of the total, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth, fifth, and sixth most common causes were chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes.
In 2024

21%

of deaths were from heart disease
In 2024

20%

of deaths were from cancer
In 2024

6%

of deaths were from accidents

How have the leading causes of death changed over time?

Here’s how death rates changed from 1999 to 2024:
  • Heart disease decreased by 21%
  • Cancer decreased by 2%
  • Accidents increased by 44%
  • Cerebrovascular disease decreased by 32%
  • Chronic respiratory illness remained relatively stable
COVID-19 became one of the leading causes at the onset of the pandemic, but its rank has since dropped off.

Cancer and heart disease are consistently the leading causes of death.

Top five causes of death in 2024, death rate per 100,000 people (1999–2024)

What are accidental deaths? What is the most common type?

Accidents were the third leading cause of death in 2024. “Accidents” includes an array of subcategories according to whether they are transit or non-transit accidents. In 2024, accidental poisoning, mainly accidental drug overdoses, were the most common accidents, followed by falls and motor vehicle accidents. Changes over time may be due to safety improvements, changing demographics, and other social and economic factors.

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Accidental poisoning accounted for 30.8% of accidental deaths in 2024.

Accidents by type, death rate per 100,000 people (1999–2024)

In 2024, 30.8% of accidental deaths were from drug overdoses and poisonings. This is up from 6.0% in 1999.

How do the leading causes of death vary by age group?

The leading causes of death vary among age groups; older people are more likely to die in general, and more likely to succumb to illness than accidents. Accidents include accidental poisonings, or accidental drug overdoses, and motor vehicle accidents. Accidents make up a larger share of the deaths of under-45s, accounting for 31% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses made up 17% of total deaths in this age group. In children, accidents account for 0% of deaths.

The impact of the top causes of death varies across age groups.

Percentage of deaths by cause and age group in 2024

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.