COVID-19’s Decline in U.S. Death Rankings
COVID-19 is no longer among the top ten causes of death in the United States.
Preliminary data from 2024, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that COVID has fallen off the list for the first time since the pandemic began. It had been the third leading cause of death in 2020 and remained prominent until now.
“COVID is still among the top 15 causes of death, so it hasn’t just vanished,” says Farida Ahmad, a health scientist at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and the publication’s lead author.
Since peaking in 2021—when over 463,000 deaths were linked to the virus—COVID’s mortality numbers have been declining. In the prior year, it accounted for approximately 47,000 deaths in the U.S.
Overall, deaths last year were down 4% compared to the previous year, marking a third straight year of decline, according to Ahmad. This trend is seen across various age groups and racial/ethnic backgrounds. The reductions can be attributed to several factors, including fewer COVID-related deaths and drug overdose fatalities.
Other leading causes of death included suicide, diabetes, kidney disease, and unintentional injuries. Heart disease and cancer have remained the top two causes of death for over a decade, together accounting for more than 40% of U.S. deaths in 2024.
Data suggests that death rates are generally higher among men, older adults, and Black Americans compared to other racial groups.
“The increasing number of people living longer with chronic diseases indicates that we’ve made progress in addressing infectious diseases,” remarks Kathleen Ethier, a former CDC official who wasn’t involved in this study.
Addressing chronic diseases, as Ethier points out, requires a different approach. They develop gradually and are significantly influenced by individual lifestyles, environmental factors, and genetics.
For example, those with a family history of heart disease may be at greater risk if they live in polluted or stressful areas, rely on ultraprocessed foods, and have inconsistent access to healthcare. Ethier emphasizes that these societal factors present challenges to public health initiatives aimed at improvement.
Recently, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a report titled “Make Our Children Healthy Again,” which received mixed feedback from health advocates. They expressed concerns that its recommendations conflict with other recent actions by the Trump Administration, especially reductions in food assistance and health programs.
Ethier argues that such administrative choices could potentially exacerbate the leading causes of death. She highlights that cuts to the CDC’s chronic disease division could hinder efforts, particularly those related to smoking, which is a significant contributor to heart disease and related conditions.
