Death in America
Many factors can play a role in determining how long a person lives, from personal health habits to where they call home. And often, improvements in those areas are aimed at staving off conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, which remain among the biggest drivers of death among Americans.
Nearly 3.1 million U.S. residents died in 2023, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – roughly 189,000 fewer than in 2022. The age-adjusted rate of mortality in 2023 was 750.5 deaths per 100,000 people, down about 6% from 798.8 in 2022.
Perennial top contributors like heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries were still among the leading causes of death in the country, while deaths from COVID-19 significantly declined as the U.S. continued to rebound from a pandemic caused by the disease. In 2023, deaths for which COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause fell by more than 73%.
Overall, the country’s 10 leading causes of death in 2023 remained the same as in 2022, though with some shifts in rank. Nine of the 10 leading causes also saw statistically significant declines in their rates of death, and only one saw an increase in the total number of deaths attributed to it.
Combined, the country’s 10 most common causes of death accounted for nearly 71% of total deaths among U.S. residents in 2023, according to final data from the CDC.
Perennial top contributors like heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries were still among the leading causes of death in the country, while deaths from COVID-19 significantly declined as the U.S. continued to rebound from a pandemic caused by the disease. In 2023, deaths for which COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause fell by more than 73%.
Overall, the country’s 10 leading causes of death in 2023 remained the same as in 2022, though with some shifts in rank. Nine of the 10 leading causes also saw statistically significant declines in their rates of death, and only one saw an increase in the total number of deaths attributed to it.
Combined, the country’s 10 most common causes of death accounted for nearly 71% of total deaths among U.S. residents in 2023, according to final data from the CDC.
Perennial top contributors like heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries were still among the leading causes of death in the country, while deaths from COVID-19 significantly declined as the U.S. continued to rebound from a pandemic caused by the disease. In 2023, deaths for which COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause fell by more than 73%.
Overall, the country’s 10 leading causes of death in 2023 remained the same as in 2022, though with some shifts in rank. Nine of the 10 leading causes also saw statistically significant declines in their rates of death, and only one saw an increase in the total number of deaths attributed to it.
Combined, the country’s 10 most common causes of death accounted for nearly 71% of total deaths among U.S. residents in 2023, according to final data from the CDC.
Perennial top contributors like heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries were still among the leading causes of death in the country, while deaths from COVID-19 significantly declined as the U.S. continued to rebound from a pandemic caused by the disease. In 2023, deaths for which COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause fell by more than 73%.
Overall, the country’s 10 leading causes of death in 2023 remained the same as in 2022, though with some shifts in rank. Nine of the 10 leading causes also saw statistically significant declines in their rates of death, and only one saw an increase in the total number of deaths attributed to it.
Combined, the country’s 10 most common causes of death accounted for nearly 71% of total deaths among U.S. residents in 2023, according to final data from the CDC.
10. COVID-19
Number of Deaths: 49,932
Age-Adjusted Rate: 11.9 per 100,000 population
Falling to No. 10 from No. 4 in 2022, COVID-19 accounted for 1.6% of all deaths among U.S. residents in 2023, compared with 5.7% of all deaths in 2022.
9. Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
Number of Deaths: 52,222
Age-Adjusted Rate: 13.0 per 100,000 population
Tenth on this list in 2022, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis accounted for 1.7% of all deaths that year and in 2023, with a rate of death that fell by close to 6% between years.
8. Kidney Disease
Number of Deaths: 55,253
Age-Adjusted Rate: 13.1 per 100,000 population
Kidney disease was No. 9 on this list in 2022. It accounted for 1.8% of all deaths in both 2022 and 2023, and its death rate dropped by about 5% year over year.
7. Diabetes
Number of Deaths: 95,190
Age-Adjusted Rate: 22.4 per 100,000 population
Diabetes accounted for 3.1% of all deaths in 2022 and 2023, though its death rate fell by more than 7% year over year – second only to COVID-19 among the leading causes of death for the largest percentage decline. It was No. 8 on this list in 2022.
6. Alzheimer’s Disease
Number of Deaths: 114,034
Age-Adjusted Rate: 27.7 per 100,000 population
Alzheimer’s accounted for 3.7% of all deaths in both 2022 and 2023, though its rate of death fell by 4% year over year. It was No. 7 on this list in 2022.
5. Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases
Number of Deaths: 145,357
Age-Adjusted Rate: 33.4 per 100,000 population
This category includes conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. They accounted for 4.7% of U.S. deaths in 2023, up from 4.5% in 2022, while the death rate tied to them fell by 2.6%. They were No. 6 on this list in 2022.
4. Cerebrovascular Diseases
Number of Deaths: 162,639
Age-Adjusted Rate: 39 per 100,000 population
Encompassing stroke-caused deaths, cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 5.3% of total deaths in 2023 – up from 5% in 2022 – and saw a death rate drop of 1.3%. Such incidents were No. 5 on this list in 2022.