COVID-19 Falls Off Michigan’s Leading Causes of Death List

For the first time since 2019, COVID-19 did not make it onto Michigan’s list of leading causes of death in 2024.

Heart disease and cancer had been the top culprits for deaths in both 2020 and 2021, placing COVID-19 in third place. However, by 2022, the virus had dropped to fourth and then to ninth in 2023. With a notable 42% decrease in COVID-related deaths this year, it completely fell off the top 10 list.

This information was unveiled by the state on Tuesday, February 3.

Michigan recorded a total of 102,848 deaths in 2024, resulting in a death rate of 10.1 per 1,000 residents—down slightly from 10.3 in 2023. This marks the lowest death rate since 2019, in line with a national trend.

The leading causes of death largely resembled those from the past two decades, with a few minor adjustments.

Suicide returned to the top 10 list for the first time since 2019. Moreover, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis made an appearance at ninth place, marking its highest ranking in decades and its fourth consecutive showing since being absent from 2002 to 2020.

Beneath is the 2024 top 10 list, detailing deaths in Michigan and nationally.

Michigan experienced more deaths than births for the fifth consecutive year, reporting 99,420 live births against the 102,848 deaths.

Annually, Michigan publishes data on causes of death using a framework from the World Health Organization, defining the cause as the condition that triggers the events leading to death.

For many years, heart disease and cancer have been the primary causes of death, together accounting for 46% of deaths in Michigan and 42% nationwide in 2024.

COVID-19 was recorded as the cause of death for 11,232 individuals in 2020, increasing to 13,310 in 2021. Thanks to improvements in vaccines, treatments, and comprehension of the virus, those annual totals decreased significantly, landing at 5,847 deaths in 2022 and 1,603 in 2023.

In 2024, the count of COVID-related deaths was 953. Early statistics for 2025 indicate another substantial drop, although final figures may not be available until early 2027.

Deaths from influenza reached 225 in 2024, the highest total since before the pandemic. Early numbers for 2025 suggest that this figure might be surpassed, with over 440 reported by late December.

You may find it interesting that violent deaths in Michigan were at a historically low rate, with 534 homicides—a record low since at least 1980.

In comparison, there were 1,099 fatalities from traffic accidents.