Facts + Statistics: Mortality risk

Major causes of death

Top 10 Leading Causes Of Death, 2021

Rank (1)	Cause of death	Number of deaths	Rate (2)
1	Heart disease	695,547	173.8
2	Malignant neoplasms (cancer)	605,213	146.6
3	COVID-19	416,893	104.1
4	Accidents (unintentional injuries)	224,935	64.7
5	Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke)	162,890	41.1
6	Chronic lower respiratory diseases	142,342	34.7
7	Alzheimer's disease	119,399	31.0
8	Diabetes	103,294	25.4
9	Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis	56,585	14.5
10	Kidney disease	54,358	13.6
	All other causes	882,775	25.5
	All deaths	3,464,231	879.7

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

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

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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, 2020 (1)

Cause of death	Number of deaths,2020	One-year odds	Lifetime odds
Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances (2)	87,404	3,770	49
Drug poisoning	83,558	3,943	51
Opioids (including both legal and illegal)	64,183	5,134	67
All motor vehicle accidents	42,339	7,782	101
Car occupants	6,802	48,439	629
Pedestrians	7,904	41,686	541
Motorcycle riders	5,353	61,551	799
Assault by firearm	19,383	16,999	221
Exposure to smoke, fire and flames	2,951	111,652	1,450
Fall on and from stairs and steps	2,669	123,449	1,603
Drowning and submersion while in or falling into swimming pool	740	445,249	5,782
Fall on and from ladder or scaffolding	576	572,021	7,429
Firearms discharge (accidental)	400	823,710	10,698
Air and space transport accidents	364	905,176	11,756
Cataclysmic storm (3)	122	2,700,690	35,074
Flood	37	8,904,976	115,649
Bitten or struck by dog	62	5,314,260	69,016
Earthquake and other earth movements	34	9,690,710	125,853
Lightning	17	(4)	(4)

(1) Based on fatalities and life expectancy in 2020. Ranked by deaths in 2020.
(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.

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The opioid crisis

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Top 10 States By Drug Poisoning Deaths and Death Rates, 2020 (1)

	By number of deaths				By deaths per 100,000 people (2)
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	8,908	21.8	1	West Virginia	1,330	81.4
2	Florida	7,231	35.0	2	District of Columbia	424	58.1
3	Ohio	5,204	47.2	3	Kentucky	2,083	49.2
4	Pennsylvania	5,168	42.4	4	Delaware	444	47.3
5	New York	4,965	25.4	5	Ohio	5,204	47.2
6	Texas	4,172	14.1	6	Tennessee	3,034	45.6
7	Illinois	3,549	28.1	7	Maryland	2,771	44.6
8	North Carolina	3,146	30.9	8	Louisana	1,896	42.7
9	Tennessee	3,034	45.6	9	Pennsylvania	5,168	42.4
10	New Jersey	2,840	32.1	10	Maine	496	39.7

(1) Drug overdose caused by prescription and illegal drugs.
(2) Rates are age-adjusted using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. standard population, except for age-specific crude rates. All rates are per 100,000 population.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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