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Facts + Statistics: Mortality risk

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According to the CDC data and reports:

  • Heart disease, cancer, and accidents (unintentional injuries) are the top three leading causes of death in the United States.
  • In 2022, the U.S. had nearly 108,000 drug overdose deaths.
  • In 2021, the top states for the number of drug poisoning deaths  were California, Florida, and New York. However, the states that had the most drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 people were West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Kentucky.
  • According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between January 21, 2020 and January 9, 2022, there were 59 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States and the virus had claimed 834,000 lives.
  • The number of U.S. deaths by firearms is higher than the number of Americans killed in motor vehicle crashes. 

Major causes of death

Top 10 Leading Causes of Death, 2022

Rank (1) Cause of death Number of
deaths		 Rate (2)
1 Heart disease 702,880 167.2
2 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) 608,371 142.3
3 Accidents (unintentional injuries) 227,039 64.0
4 COVID-19 186,552 44.5
5 Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 165,393 39.5
6 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 147,382 34.3
7 Alzheimer's disease 120,122 28.9
8 Diabetes 101,209 24.1
9 Kidney disease 57,937 13.8
10 Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 54,803 13.8
  All other causes 908,169 NA
  All deaths 3,279,857 798.8

(1) Based on number of deaths.
(2) Deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population.

NA=Not applicable.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

View Archived Tables

Odds of dying from accidental injuries

The chart below shows the likelihood, or odds, of dying as a result of a specific type of accident. The odds of dying over a one-year period are based on the U.S. population as a whole, not on participants in any particular activity or on how dangerous that activity may be. For example, more people are killed in auto accidents than in motorcycle accidents or airplane crashes, not because riding a motorcycle or traveling in an airplane is more or less dangerous, but because far more people travel by car.

Odds Of Death In The United States By Selected Cause Of Injury, 2023 (1)

 

Cause of death Number of deaths, 2023 One-year odds Lifetime odds
Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances (2) 100,304 3,339 43
     Drug poisoning  97,231 3,445 44
     Opioids (including both legal and illegal) 75,493 4,436 57
All motor vehicle accidents 44,762 7,482 95
     Car occupants 6,707 49,935 637
     Pedestrians 9,076 36,901 471
     Motorcycle riders 6,048 55,376 706
Assault by firearm 17,927 18,682 238
Exposure to smoke, fire and flames 3,375 99,234 1,266
Fall on and from stairs and steps 2,922 114,618 1,462
Drowning and submersion while in or falling into swimming pool 821 407,935 5,203
Fall on and from ladder or scaffolding 576 581,449 7,416
Firearms discharge (accidental) 434 771,693 9,843
Air and space transport accidents 45 7,442,553 94,931
Cataclysmic storm (3) 109 3,072,614 39,192
Flood 39 8,587,561 109,535
Bitten or struck by dog 96 3,488,697 44,499
Earthquake and other earth movements 33 10,148,936 129,451
Lightning 18 (4) (4)

(1) Based on fatalities and life expectancy in 2023. Ranked by deaths in 2023.
(2) Includes all types of medications including narcotics and hallucinogens, alcohol and gases.
(3) Includes hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, dust storms and other cataclysmic storms.
(4) Rates based on less than 20 deaths are likely to be unstable from year to year and are therefore not included.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics; National Safety Council.

View Archived Tables

The opioid crisis

 

 

View Archived Graphs

Top 10 States By Drug Poisoning Deaths And Death Rates, 2022 (1)

 

  By number of deaths   By deaths per 100,000 people
Rank State Number of deaths Deaths per
100,000 people		 Rank State Number of deaths Deaths per
100,000 people
1 California 10,952 26.9 1 West Virginia 1,335 80.9
2 Florida 7,551 35.2 2 District of Columbia 451 64.3
3 New York 6,358 31.4 3 Tennessee 3,825 56.0
4 Texas 5,489 18.2 4 Delaware 549 55.3
5 Pennsylvania 5,169 40.9 5 Louisana 2,376 54.5
6 Ohio 5,144 45.6 6 Maine 707 54.3
7 North Carolina 4,310 41.8 7 Kentucky 2,271 53.2
8 Illinois 3,849 30.0 8 New Mexico 1,024 50.3
9 Tennessee 3,825 56.0 9 Vermont 276 45.9
10 Michigan 2,997 30.7 10 Ohio 5,144 45.6

(1) Drug overdose caused by prescription and illegal drugs.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Services.

View Archived Tables

Additional Resources

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatal Crash Statistics

World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Numbers at a Glance (scroll to middle of page)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID Data Tracker

National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality in the United States

CDC Drug Overdose Information

CDC, National Center for Health Statistics Firearm Mortality by State

National Vital Statistics System, Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for 2021

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