Overview

• The age-adjusted death rate declined 3.8% to 722 per 100,000 in 2024, with about 3.07 million deaths, according to CDC/NCHS provisional data.
• COVID-19 fell off the list of the 10 leading causes for the first time since 2020, though it still resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
• Heart disease and cancer remained the top killers, with deaths rising to 683,037 and 619,812, respectively, compared with 2023.
• Unintentional injuries ranked third as drug overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024, with a separate CDC analysis estimating a nearly 27% decline.
• Suicide moved into the 10th spot with roughly 48,000–49,000 deaths, while disparities persisted with higher death rates among Black people and men and infant mortality showing no recovery from recent increases.