What are the top causes of death for people 65 and older?
In 2023, Alzheimer’s disease overtook COVID-19 as a leading cause of death among older adults.
The top two causes of death for senior citizens in 2023 were heart diseases and cancer at 935.7 and 778.7 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Cerebrovascular diseases (237.7 per 100,000 people), chronic lower respiratory diseases (212.0 per 100,000), and Alzheimer disease (190 per 100,000) followed as the next most common causes of death for seniors.
COVID-19 was a top-five cause of death among adults 65 and older from 2020 to 2022, but was surpassed by Alzheimer’s disease in 2023.
In 2023, Alzheimer’s disease overtook COVID-19 as a top five cause of death.
Crude death rate per 100,000 people among adults ages 65 and older, 1999–2023
How have the causes of death for seniors changed over time?
Heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and chronic lower respiratory diseases were the top four causes of death for seniors (people 65 and older) in 2000. The fifth most common cause was influenza and pneumonia, with 167.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
Influenza and pneumonia were the 11th-most-common cause of death by 2023, with deaths dropping to 62.2 per 100,000. Instead, Alzheimer's disease ranked in the top five.
COVID-19 became a leading cause of death for people 65 and over in 2020. Death rates due to heart diseases, cancer, and cerebrovascular diseases for older Americans have been on the rise, but all saw a decrease in 2023.
Similarly, fewer people 65 and over are dying of four out of the top five causes of death now than than in 2000; decreases in crude death rate sources per 100,000 people 65 and over include:
- Heart disease: down 44.8% since 2000
- Cerebrovascular diseases: down 43.8% since 2000
- Cancers: down 30.5% since 2000
- Chronic lower respiratory disease: down 30.2% since 2000
As of 2023, senior deaths from Alzheimer's disease have increased 35.7% since 2000.
Do the top causes of death for senior citizens vary by state?
In 2023, Heart disease was the top cause of death for people 65 and older between in 47 states and Washington, DC. In the other three states — Alaska, Minnesota, and Washington — cancer was the leading cause.
Heart disease has been the leading cause of death for senior citizens in almost every state for the past two decades; between 2001 and 2002, it was the leading cause in every state except Alaska.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for senior citizens in all but three states.
Top causes of death among adults 65 and older, 2023
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