Deaths by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics

Provisional Death Counts for COVID-19

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List of Topics

  1. Sex and age
  2. Race and Hispanic origin
  3. Place of death
  4. Comorbidities and other conditions
  5. Excess deaths
  6. Additional data (county, leading causes of death, etc.)

For the Index of Provisional COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance and Ad-hoc Data Files, click here.

The provisional counts for COVID-19 deaths are based on a current flow of mortality data in the National Vital Statistics System. National provisional counts include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia that have been received and coded as of the date specified. It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), processed, coded, and tabulated. Therefore, the data shown on this page may be incomplete, and will likely not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for the more recent time periods. Death counts for earlier weeks are continually revised and may increase or decrease as new and updated death certificate data are received from the states by NCHS. COVID-19 death counts shown here may differ from other published sources, as data currently are lagged by an average of 1–2 weeks.


Sex and Age

Table 1 has counts of deaths involving COVID-19 and other select causes of death by time-period in which the death occurred, sex and age group.  For data on deaths involving COVID-19 by month, year, jurisdiction, sex, and age, . This data file contains two sets of age groups: (1) age-groups consistent with those used across CDC COVID-19 surveillance pages, and (2) age groups that are routinely included in NCHS mortality reports. When analyzing the file, the user should make sure to select only the desired age groups. Summing across all age categories provided will result in double counting deaths from certain age groups. For data on deaths involving COVID-19 by week, sex, and age (by NCHS age groups), . Data on deaths involving COVID-19 among ages 0–18 are available here: .

Coronavirus deaths by sex and age group

NOTE: Empty data cells represent counts between 1-9 that have been suppressed in accordance with NCHS confidentiality standards. Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and may not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Counts of deaths occurring before or after the reporting period are not included in the table. Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. United States death counts include the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City. New York state estimates exclude New York City.

[1] Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1.

[2] Counts of deaths involving pneumonia (J12.0-J18.9) include pneumonia deaths that also involve COVID-19 and exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[3] Counts of deaths involving influenza (J09-J11) include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.

[4] Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09–18.9.

Race and Hispanic origin

Data by race and Hispanic origin are available at the national, state, and county level. Data by race and Hispanic origin is also available by age at the national and state level. Click here to visit the NCHS Health Disparities page.

COVID-19 Health Disparities Static Image and Link

Place of death

Table 2 presents death counts involving COVID-19 and other select causes of death by time-period in which the death occurred, and the place of death. For data on deaths involving COVID-19 by time-period, jurisdiction, place of death, and age group, .

Coronavirus deaths by place of death

NOTE: Empty data cells represent counts between 1-9 that have been suppressed in accordance with NCHS confidentiality standards. Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and may not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Counts of deaths occurring before or after the reporting period are not included in the table. Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. United States death counts include the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City. New York state estimates exclude New York City.

[1] Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1.

[2] Counts of deaths involving pneumonia (J12.0-J18.9) include pneumonia deaths that also involve COVID-19 and exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[3] Counts of deaths involving influenza (J09-J11) include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.

[4] Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09-18.9.

Comorbidities and other conditions

Table 3 shows the types of health conditions and contributing causes mentioned in conjunction with deaths involving COVID-19. The number of deaths that mention one or more of the conditions indicated is shown for all deaths involving COVID-19 and by age groups. For over 5% of these deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned on the death certificate. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 4.0 additional conditions or causes per death. For data on deaths involving COVID-19 by time-period, jurisdiction, and other health conditions, .

NOTE: Empty data cells represent counts between 1-9 that have been suppressed in accordance with NCHS confidentiality standards. Conditions contributing to the death were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD–10). Deaths involving more than one condition (e.g., deaths involving both diabetes and respiratory arrest) were counted in both totals. To avoid counting the same death multiple times, the numbers for different conditions should not be summated. Some deaths involve more than one of the same condition category (e.g. deaths involving unintentional and intentional injury often include two or more injury ICD-10 codes), the number of mentions presented on the table above represents the number of instances where the condition was cited on the death certificate. Number of deaths and number of mentions reported in this table are tabulated from deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Data for this table are derived from a cut of the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) database taken at a particular time, separate from other surveillance tables on this page which are tabulated on the date of update. As a result, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in this table may not match other surveillance tables on this page. Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. United States death counts include the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City. New York state estimates exclude New York City. Estimates for 2020 and 2021 are based on final data.

[1] Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1.


Excess deaths

See the NCHS Excess Deaths Data Visualization.

This data visualization presents data on weekly counts of all-cause mortality by jurisdiction of occurrence. Counts of deaths in the most recent weeks are compared with historical trends to determine whether the number of deaths in recent weeks is significantly higher than expected.

COVID-19 Health Disparities Static Image and Link

Additional data (leading causes of death, county, etc.)

Leading causes of death
County-level data
Urban/Rural Status
Understanding the Numbers: Provisional Death Counts and COVID-19

Provisional death counts deliver the most complete and accurate picture of lives lost to COVID-19. They are based on death certificates, which are the most reliable source of data and contain information not available anywhere else, including comorbid conditions, race and ethnicity, and place of death.

How it Works

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses incoming data from death certificates to produce provisional COVID-19 death counts. These include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

NCHS also provides summaries that examine deaths in specific categories and in greater geographic detail, such as deaths by county and by race and Hispanic origin.

COVID-19 deaths are identified using a new ICD–10 code. When COVID-19 is reported as a cause of death – or when it is listed as a “probable” or “presumed” cause — the death is coded as U07.1. This can include cases with or without laboratory confirmation.

Why These Numbers are Different

Provisional death counts may not match counts from other sources, such as media reports or numbers from county health departments. Counts by NCHS often track 1–2 weeks behind other data.

  • Death certificates take time to be completed. There are many steps to filling out and submitting a death certificate. Waiting for test results can create additional delays.
  • States report at different rates. Currently, 63% of all U.S. deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, but there is significant variation between states.
  • Other reporting systems use different definitions or methods for counting deaths.

Things to know about the data

Provisional counts are not final and are subject to change. Counts from previous weeks are continually revised as more records are received and processed.

Provisional data are not yet complete. Counts will not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for more recent periods. However, we can estimate how complete our numbers are by looking at the average number of deaths reported in previous years.

Death counts should not be compared across states. Some states report deaths on a daily basis, while other states report deaths weekly or monthly. State vital record reporting may also be affected or delayed by COVID-19 related response activities.

For more detailed technical information, visit the Provisional Death Counts for COVID-19 Technical Notes page.