The Top 5 Leading Causes of Death in the United States

  Cause of Death Deaths Percent of Total Deaths Death Rate
1 Heart disease 696,947 28.5 241.7
2 Cancers 557,271 22.8 193.2
3 Cerebrovascular diseases (such as strokes) 162,672 6.7 56.4
4 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 124,816 5.1 43.3
5 Accidents 106,742 4.4 37.0
Share on Social Media:
Tags: Death Statistics, Health Statistics

Sources:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002 stats.

List Notes: Death rate is per 100,000 Persons.
Leading Causes of Death in the United States

Related Top 5 Lists