US death rate at record low: CDC data
Key takeaways
- According to the Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, the death rate in 2025 was 689.2 per 100,000 people, representing a 4.6 percent drop from 2024 as well as the lowest recorded death rate in the country s history.
- The top two underlying causes of death in the U.S. were heart disease and cancer, followed distantly by unintentional injuries, strokes, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer s disease and diabetes.
- Compared to 2024, the first seven leading causes of death remained the same, but the last three were different.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
According to the Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, the death rate in 2025 was 689.2 per 100,000 people, representing a 4.6 percent drop from 2024 as well as the lowest recorded death rate in the country s history.
The top two underlying causes of death in the U.S. were heart disease and cancer, followed distantly by unintentional injuries, strokes, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer s disease and diabetes.
Compared to 2024, the first seven leading causes of death remained the same, but the last three were different. In 2024, the leading causes of death also included nephritis, chronic liver disease and suicide. In the following year, influenza and pneumonia as well as kidney disease outranked these causes of death, though chronic liver disease remained among the top causes.