Top 15 Major Causes of Death, 2014
      Age-adjusted death rate (1)
Rank Cause of death Number of deaths Rate Percent change from 2013
1 Heart disease 614,348 167.0 -1.6%
2 Malignant neoplasms (tumors) 591,700 161.2 -1.2
3 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 147,101 40.5 -3.8
4 Accidents (unintentional injuries) 135,928 40.5 2.8
5 Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 133,103 36.5 0.8
6 Alzheimer's disease 93,541 25.4 8.1
7 Diabetes 76,488 20.9 -1.4
8 Influenza and pneumonia 55,227 15.1 -5.0
9 Kidney disease 48,146 13.2 (2)
10 Intentional self-harm (suicide) 42,826 13.0 3.2
11 Septicemia 38,940 10.7 (2)
12 Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 38,170 10.4 2.0
13 Hypertension (3) 30,221 8.2 -3.5
14 Parkinson's disease 26,150 7.4 1.4
15 Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids 18,792 5.1 1.9
  All other causes 535,737 NA NA
  All deaths 2,626,418 724.6 44.2%
(1) Per 100,000 population; factors out differences based on age. (2) Less than 0.1 percent. (3) Essential (primary) hypertension and hypertensive renal disease. NA=Not applicable. Source: National Center for Health Statistics.