What are the leading causes of death in the ?

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The leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and accidents in 2024. Out of the nearly 3.1 million deaths in 2024, over 1.5 million, or 49%, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth, fifth, and sixth most common causes were cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.
In 2024

22%

of deaths were from heart disease
In 2024

20%

of deaths were from cancer
In 2024

6%

of deaths were from accidents
According to the CDC, heart disease and cancer have been the leading causes of death in the US since 1950. For every 100,000 people living in the US, 201 people died from heart disease and 182 people died from cancer in 2024. The top five leading causes of death account for 59% of all deaths in 2024.

How have the leading causes of death changed over time?

Here's how death rates changed from 1999 to 2024:
  • Heart disease decreased by 23%
  • Cancer decreased by 7%
  • Accidents increased by 66%
  • Cerebrovascular disease decreased by 18%
  • 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.

Heart disease and cancer are consistently the leading causes of death.

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

What are accidents? Why are accidents on the rise?

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Accidents ranked as 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.

Accidental poisoning accounted for 38.4% of accidental deaths in 2024.

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

In 2024, 38.4% of accidental deaths were from drug overdoses and poisonings. This is up from 12.5 in 1999.
Drug overdose deaths
In 2024, 60% of drug overdose deaths involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
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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. 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 35% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental poisoning (incl. drug overdoses) made up 20% of total deaths in this age group. In children, the leading cause of accidental death was motor vehicle accidents, which account for 15% of total 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.