For the first time since the pandemic began, COVID-19 is no longer one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. According to new data from the CDC, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020. However, the number of deaths has dropped significantly from its peak of over 463,000 in 2021 to about 47,000 in 2024. This is a major improvement, though the virus is still among the top 15 causes of death. Have The Death Rates Dropped In The US? Overall, the United States saw a 4% drop in deaths last year, which marks the third year in a row that this has happened. This positive trend was observed across most age groups and among people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Despite this overall improvement, some groups still face higher death rates. For example, death rates are higher for men than for women, and they are also higher for older adults and for Black Americans compared to other groups. Which Groups Were Affected The Most? Even with the overall improvement, the report shows that death rates are not the same for everyone. When looking at racial and ethnic groups, the death rate was highest for the Black population at 884 deaths per 100,000 people, while it was lowest for multiracial people at 332.3 per 100,000. When it comes to age groups, the death rate was lowest for children between 5 and 14 years old, at 14.4 deaths per 100,000. As expected, the rate was highest for people aged 85 and older, at a very high 13,835.5 deaths per 100,000. Experts say that healthy lifestyle choices, like eating well and staying at a healthy weight, are some of the best ways for people to reduce their risk from many of the leading causes of death. What Remain The Leading Causes Of Death In US? The leading causes of death in the U.S. remain chronic diseases. Heart disease and cancer are the top two, responsible for over 40% of all deaths combined. In 2024, heart disease caused 683,492 deaths, and cancer caused 619,876 deaths. So to list it, the top causes of death in US according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in 2024 remain, Heart Disease: 683,492 deathsCancer: 619,876 deathsAccidents (unintentional injuries): 197,448 deathsStrokes: 166,855 deathsChronic lower respiratory diseases: 145,643 deathsAlzheimer's disease: 116,022 deathsDiabetes: 94,445 deathsKidney disease: 55,081 deathsChronic liver disease: 52,274 deathsSuicide: 48,821 deaths
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