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Number of deaths and percentage of total deaths for the 10 leading causes of death, by sex, race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2024
This interactive chart presents the rankings of the leading causes of death in the United States for 2024. It shows the number of deaths, age-adjusted death rates, percentage of total deaths, and ranking for each cause. Data are presented by sex and race and ethnicity. For complete details, please see Deaths: Leading Causes for 2024.
Technical Notes
Nature and Sources of Data
The data shown in this report reflect information collected by NCHS for 2023 and 2024 from death certificates filed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and compiled into a national database as part of the National Vital Statistics System. Data are available through National Vital Statistics System, mortality data file and CDC WONDER, which provides an easy-to-use, menu-driven system for public access.
Ranking of Causes of Death
The procedures used by NCHS to rank causes of death are consistent with the recommendations of the 1951 Public Health Conference on Records and Statistics (1). Causes are ranked according to the number of deaths attributed to rankable causes, which are a standard set of causes of death defined by NCHS to ensure consistency and comparability in reporting. While the rankings displayed are based on numbers, the presentation in the figure is by the percentage of total deaths.
Cause of Death
Cause-of-death data are based on the underlying cause of death, classified according to the International Classification of Diseases,10th Revision (2).
Age-Adjusted Death Rate
Age-adjusted rates were computed by applying the age-specific death rates to the U.S. standard population (3). The population data used to calculate death rates are July 1, 2024, estimates based on the blended base produced by the U.S. Census Bureau (5)
Race and Hispanic Origin
Race and Hispanic origin were categorized based on the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards for federal statistical and administrative reporting (4). All of the race categories are single race, meaning that only one race was reported on the death certificate. Data shown for the Hispanic population include people of any race.
References:
- National Office of Vital Statistics. Leading causes of death: United States and each state, 1949. Vital statistics— Special reports, national summaries; vol 36 no 20. 195.
- World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision (ICD–10). 2008 ed. 2009.
- Anderson RN, Rosenberg HM. Age standardization of death rates: Implementation of the year 2000 standard. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 1998 Oct 7;47(3):1–17. PMID: 9796247
- Office of Management and Budget. Revisions to the standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity. Fed Regist. 1997 Oct 30;62(210):58782–90.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Methodology for the United States population estimates: Vintage 2024.
Suggested citation: Tejada-Vera B., Bastian B. Number of deaths and percentage of total deaths for the 10 leading causes of death, by sex, race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2024. National Center for Health Statistics, 2026.