The nation’s age-adjusted death rate fell 4.6% in 2025 to 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people — the lowest rate ever recorded in the U.S. — according to provisional CDC data published July 2.
An estimated 3,094,593 people died in the U.S. in 2025, according to the report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, which reflects 99.9% of 2025 death records processed as of May 10. The total number of deaths increased from 3,072,666 in 2024 even as the rate declined.
Five things to know from the report:
1. Death rates fell for every age group and for both sexes. The age-adjusted rate for males (811.1 per 100,000) remained well above the rate for females (582.9).
2. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death with 694,708 deaths, followed by cancer (622,832) and unintentional injuries (184,265). Deaths from heart disease and cancer both increased from 2024.
3. Influenza and pneumonia, recorded together, climbed from the 11th to the 8th leading cause of death, with 56,511 deaths in 2025. The year prior, pneumonia and the flu claimed 48,139 lives. Suicide decreased from the 10th to the 11th leading cause, with 48,789 deaths in 2025.
4. Racial disparities persisted. Age-adjusted death rates were highest for Black Americans (869 per 100,000) and increased for American Indian and Alaska Native people (from 786.1 to 803.8) and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people (from 682.7 to 746).
The CDC cautioned that rate changes for smaller populations may be skewed by revised census population estimates.
5. The figures are provisional and will likely change as remaining records are processed, particularly unintentional injury deaths, which are reported with a longer lag, meaning the final count will likely be higher. The National Center for Health Statistics typically releases final mortality data about 11 months after the end of each calendar year.
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