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.
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, 2021 (1)
| Cause of death |
Number of deaths, 2021 |
One-year odds |
Lifetime odds |
| Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances (2) |
102,001 |
3,254 |
43 |
| Drug poisoning |
98,268 |
3,377 |
44 |
| Opioids (including both legal and illegal) |
75,785 |
4,379 |
58 |
| All motor vehicle accidents |
46,980 |
7,065 |
93 |
| Car occupants |
7,576 |
43,809 |
576 |
| Pedestrians |
8,984 |
36,943 |
485 |
| Motorcycle riders |
5,836 |
56,870 |
747 |
| Assault by firearm |
20,958 |
15,836 |
208 |
| Exposure to smoke, fire and flames |
3,389 |
97,933 |
1,287 |
| Fall on and from stairs and steps |
2,766 |
119,991 |
1,577 |
| Drowning and submersion while in or falling into swimming pool |
841 |
394,642 |
5,186 |
| Fall on and from ladder or scaffolding |
557 |
595,860 |
7,830 |
| Firearms discharge (accidental) |
458 |
724,659 |
9,522 |
| Air and space transport accidents |
388 |
855,396 |
11,240 |
| Cataclysmic storm (3) |
217 |
1,529,464 |
20,098 |
| Flood |
95 |
3,493,618 |
45,908 |
| Bitten or struck by dog |
81 |
4,097,454 |
53,843 |
| Earthquake and other earth movements |
44 |
7,543,040 |
99,120 |
| Lightning |
15 |
(4) |
(4) |
(1) Based on fatalities and life expectancy in 2021. Ranked by deaths in 2021.
(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.
The opioid crisis
Number of Drug Overdose Deaths, 2002-2022
Top 10 States By Drug Poisoning Deaths And Death Rates, 2021 (1)
| |
By number of deaths |
|
By deaths per 100,000 people |
| Rank |
State |
Number of
of deaths |
Deaths per
100,000 people (2) |
Rank |
State |
Number of
of deaths |
Deaths per
100,000 people |
| 1 |
California |
10,901 |
26.6 |
1 |
West Virginia |
1,501 |
90.9 |
| 2 |
Florida |
7,827 |
37.5 |
2 |
District of Columbia |
3,813 |
56.6 |
| 3 |
New York |
5,842 |
28.7 |
3 |
Kentucky |
2,463 |
55.9 |
| 4 |
Pennsylvania |
5,449 |
43.2 |
4 |
Delaware |
2,381 |
55.6 |
| 5 |
Ohio |
5,397 |
48.1 |
5 |
Ohio |
513 |
54.0 |
| 6 |
Texas |
4,984 |
16.8 |
6 |
Tennessee |
1,052 |
51.6 |
| 7 |
North Carolina |
3,981 |
39.2 |
7 |
Maryland |
5,397 |
48.1 |
| 8 |
Tennessee |
3,813 |
56.6 |
8 |
Louisana |
611 |
47.1 |
| 9 |
Illinois |
3,762 |
29.0 |
9 |
Pennsylvania |
5,449 |
43.2 |
| 10 |
Michigan |
3,089 |
31.5 |
10 |
Maine |
2,811 |
43.0 |
(1) Drug overdose caused by prescription and illegal drugs.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Services.
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
