Death in the United States, 2009 || Products - Data Briefs - Number 64 - July 2011

full-text ►Products - Data Briefs - Number 64 - July 2011: "Death in the United States, 2009

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* Key findings
* Does the risk of dying differ by race and ethnicity?
* Are there differences by age in the risk of dying?
* How long can we expect to live?
* Do death rates vary by state?
* What are the leading causes of death?
* Do leading causes of death change rank?
* Summary
* Definitions
* Data sources and methods
* About the author
* References
* Suggested citation

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Arialdi M. Miniño, M.P.H., Division of Vital Statistics


Key findings

Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality

* In 2009, the age-adjusted death rate for the United States reached a record low of 741.0 per 100,000 population. The non-Hispanic black population had the highest mortality (942.6).
* Life expectancy at birth reached a record high of 78.2 years. White females had the longest life expectancy (80.9 years), followed by black females (77.4 years).
* The gap in life expectancy between white persons and black persons declined by 22 percent between 2000 and 2009. The race differential was 4.3 years in 2009.
* States in the Southeast region had higher death rates than those in other regions of the country.
* In 2009, the five leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, and accidents.

Mortality in the United States is best summarized by the age-adjusted death rate—a measure that accounts for changes in the age distribution of the population. This rate has declined in an almost uninterrupted manner since 1960. The death rate is now 45 percent lower than in 1960 (declining from 1,339.2 per 100,000 standard population in 1960 to 741.0 in 2009) (1,2). Although age-adjusted mortality has declined for all demographic groups over a period of many decades, long-standing gaps between black and white populations and between male and female populations have begun to narrow only since the mid-1990s. Many of the recent improvements in death rates and life expectancy for all population groups can be attributed to ongoing reductions in death rates from major causes of death, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases (1). The figures presented in this report are based on preliminary mortality data for 2009.

Keywords: death rate, mortality, National Vital Statistics System, life expectancy

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