Heart disease and cancer together caused about 42 percent of the 3,072,666 deaths in the United States in 2024. These are the CDC’s final 2024 counts for the ten leading causes of death, ranked by number of deaths.
Pictured: a still from Mayo Clinic Radio’s “Coronary Artery Disease”; heart disease is #1 with 683,491 deaths in 2024.
| Rank | Cause of death | Deaths 2024 | Share of all deaths (%) | Age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 | Rate change vs 2023 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 683,491 | 22.2 | 157.6 | -2.8 |
| 2 | Cancer | 619,876 | 20.2 | 139.4 | -1.7 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 197,449 | 6.4 | 53.3 | -14.4 |
| 4 | Stroke | 166,852 | 5.4 | 38.6 | -1.0 |
| 5 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 145,643 | 4.7 | 32.4 | -3.0 |
| 6 | Alzheimer disease | 116,022 | 3.8 | 27.1 | -2.2 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 94,445 | 3.1 | 21.7 | -3.1 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 55,081 | 1.8 | 12.6 | -3.8 |
| 9 | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 52,274 | 1.7 | 12.7 | -2.3 |
| 10 | Suicide | 48,824 | 1.6 | 13.7 | -2.8 |
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Read this first: the table uses the National Center for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) own grouping of death-certificate causes, in which all cancers count as one cause and several diseases are grouped (for example, “unintentional injuries” and “chronic lower respiratory diseases”), so a single cancer type or a single injury type would rank lower on its own. It shows the ten leading causes in NCHS’s final 2024 data, out of 3,072,666 deaths of US residents and a total age-adjusted death rate of 722.1 per 100,000 (down 3.8 percent from 750.5 in 2023). Together the ten causes were about 70.9 percent of all deaths. “Share” is a cause’s deaths divided by 3,072,666. Age-adjusted rates remove the effect of the population’s changing age mix, so they are what to compare across years; the last column is the percent change between the published 2023 and 2024 rates, calculated here from those rounded rates. Ranking is by number of deaths, not by rate. COVID-19 left the top 10 in 2024, and suicide replaced it at #10. For questions about your own health, see the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.[1]
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and has been for decades. Its 683,491 deaths are about 22.2 percent of all 3,072,666 deaths in 2024, and its age-adjusted rate fell from 162.1 to 157.6 per 100,000 from 2023. The video is a Mayo Clinic Radio interview on coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease.[1]
Cancer, counted by NCHS as a single cause, caused 619,876 deaths, or 20.2 percent of the total; heart disease and cancer together made up about 42.4 percent of all deaths. Its age-adjusted rate was 139.4 per 100,000, down from 141.8. For the individual cancer types behind this total, see The Deadliest Cancers in the United States. The video is from the American Cancer Society.[1]
Unintentional injuries, which NCHS calls accidents, include poisonings (mostly drug overdoses), falls and motor vehicle crashes. They caused 197,449 deaths, 6.4 percent of the total. Their age-adjusted rate fell the most of any top-10 cause in 2024, from 62.3 to 53.3 per 100,000. The video is from the CDC’s injury-prevention program.[1]
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) caused 166,852 deaths, 5.4 percent of the total, with an age-adjusted rate of 38.6 per 100,000, down slightly from 39.0. The Mayo Clinic video explains what a stroke is and how it is treated.[1]
Chronic lower respiratory diseases, mainly COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and asthma, caused 145,643 deaths, 4.7 percent of the total, at an age-adjusted rate of 32.4 per 100,000 (33.4 in 2023). The Mayo Clinic Minute is about COPD.[1]
Alzheimer disease caused 116,022 deaths, 3.8 percent of the total, with an age-adjusted rate of 27.1 per 100,000, down from 27.7. The Mayo Clinic video covers caring for people living with the disease.[1]
Diabetes caused 94,445 deaths, 3.1 percent of the total, at an age-adjusted rate of 21.7 per 100,000 (22.4 in 2023). NCHS counts deaths where diabetes is the underlying cause; the Mayo Clinic video is a general explainer.[1]
NCHS’s kidney disease group (nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis) caused 55,081 deaths, 1.8 percent of the total, at an age-adjusted rate of 12.6 per 100,000 (13.1 in 2023). The Mayo Clinic video explains kidney disease generally.[1]
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis caused 52,274 deaths, 1.7 percent of the total. Its age-adjusted rate is 12.7 per 100,000 (13.0 in 2023); kidney disease has more deaths but a slightly lower rate (12.6). The Mayo Clinic video is about cirrhosis.[1]
Suicide caused 48,824 deaths, 1.6 percent of the total, and moved into the top 10 in 2024, replacing COVID-19 as the 10th leading cause. Its age-adjusted rate was 13.7 per 100,000 (14.1 in 2023). If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; the video, from SAMHSA, explains how it works.[1]