Death rate in America tumbles to all-time low since federal record-keeping began

Top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2025.

The death rate in the U.S. fell in 2025 by 4.6%, making last year's numbers the lowest death rate since the federal government began tracking such statistics. 

Nearly 3.1 million deaths occurred in the U.S. last year, translating to 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people, according to a report released by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, which was a marked drop from the 722.1 deaths per 100,000 people recorded in 2024.

"In 2025, death rates per 100,000 were lowest for children ages 5–14 years and highest for people ages 85 and older, similar to patterns in 2024," the CDC report said. "Death rates decreased from 2024 to 2025 for all age groups and for both males and females." Overall, the death rate in the U.S. was the lowest since the federal government began keeping mortality records. 

The U.S. Census Office began tracking deaths in 10 states as well as the District of Columbia in 1900. By 1933, annual mortality statistics were tracked in all 48 states, according to the CDC. Health officials point to a sharp decline in drug overdose deaths as a key contributing factor in the nation's record-low death rate, which are grouped with deaths caused by unintentional accidents, the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. last year. 

Lowering overdose deaths was a key tenet of President Trump's second-term agenda, and last year he declared fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction" in a stepped up effort to thwart one of the leading causes of fatal overdose deaths in recent years. 

Meanwhile, a severe cold and flu season in January and February of 2025 drove a 17% rise in deaths blamed on influenza and pneumonia last year, which was the eighth-highest cause of deaths in the U.S. The CDC issued a chart, seen at the top of this article, showing the top 10 causes of death in the U.S. in 2025, and heart disease and cancer were, far and away, the top two. 

The statistics are provisional, the CDC said, meaning some death certificates are still being processed and final numbers could be subject to change at a later date. Life expectancy for Americans wasn't included in the CDC's latest report, but CNN noted statistics suggested life expectancy in the U.S. was on track to reach a record high.