What are the leading causes of death in Massachusetts?
Data updated July 19, 2024
Cancer, heart disease, and accidents were the leading causes of death in 2022. Of the 29,646 deaths that year, 47% of the total were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were COVID-19 and cerebrovascular diseases.
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In 2022
20%
of deaths were from cancer
In 2022
20%
of deaths were from heart disease
In 2022
8%
of deaths were from accidents
Heart disease and cancer have been the two leading causes of death since 1999. For every 100,000 people living in Massachusetts, 178 people died from heart disease and 178 died from cancer in 2022. COVID-19 became one of the leading causes of death in Massachusetts at the outset of the pandemic, but its rank dropped off. The top five leading causes of death account for 56% of all deaths in 2022.
The leading causes of death in Massachusetts are consistently heart disease and cancer.
2022's top five causes of death per 100,000 people in Massachusetts
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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.
For people over 45, the leading causes of death are heart disease and cancer. Accidents make up a larger share of the deaths of under-45s, accounting for 47% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses made up 38% of total deaths in this age group. In children, accidents account for 21% of deaths.
The impact of the top causes of death varies across age groups.
Percentage of deaths by cause and age group in 2022 in Massachusetts
