What are the leading causes of death in ?

Refreshed annually
The leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular diseases in 2024. Of the 102,819 deaths that year, 53,674, or 52% of the total, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth, fifth, and sixth most common causes were accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.
In 2024

26%

of deaths were from heart disease
In 2024

21%

of deaths were from cancer
In 2024

6%

of deaths were from cerebrovascular diseases

How have the leading causes of death changed over time?

Here's how death rates changed from 1999 to 2024:
  • Heart disease decreased by 8%
  • Cancer increased by 5%
  • Accidents increased by 66%
  • Cerebrovascular disease remained relatively stable
  • Chronic respiratory illness increased by 20%
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 fourth leading cause of death in 2024. “Accidents” includes an array of subcategories according to whether they are transit or non-transit accidents. In 2024, falls, accidental poisoning, mainly accidental drug overdoses, and motor vehicle accidents were the most common accidents, followed by other nontransport accidents and other transport accidents. Changes over time may be due to safety improvements, changing demographics, and other social and economic factors.

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Falls accounted for 31.3% of accidental deaths in 2024.

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

In 2024, 31.3% of accidental deaths were from drug overdoses and poisonings. This is up from 12.2 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 29% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses made up 15% 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.