US Deaths Causes

Top 10 Causes of Death in the US

Troy Brown, RN

June 30, 2016

The death rate in the United States hit an all-time low in 2014. For the age-adjusted death rate of 724.6 deaths per 100,000, down 1% from 2013, heart disease and cancer were still the top two causes of death in the United States in 2014, according to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics published June 30 in National Vital Statistics Reports.

The top 10 causes of death in 2014 were as follows:

1. Heart disease (23.4% of all deaths)
2. Cancer (22.5%)
3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (5.6%)
4. Accidents (unintentional injuries; 5.2%)
5. Cerebrovascular diseases (5.1%)
6. Alzheimer's disease (3.6%)
7. Diabetes mellitus (2.9%)
8. Influenza and pneumonia (2.1%)
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (1.8%)
10. Intentional self-harm (suicide; 1.6%).

Together these 10 causes of death accounted for 74% of all deaths in the United States. Thay are unchanged from the top 10 causes of death in 2013.