Americans are living longer: life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024, up from 78.4 years in 2023, according to a January data brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A Broad Improvement in Health Outcomes
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The report details final mortality data for 2024, examining deaths and death rates across various demographics and medical conditions, including life expectancy, age-adjusted rates, and leading causes of death.
- Life expectancy in the U.S. increased to 79 years in 2024.
- Suicide replaced COVID-19 as a leading cause of death.
- The age-adjusted death rate decreased by 3.8% from 2023 to 2024.
- Death rates decreased across all age groups 55 and older.
The report, based on death certificates filed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, provides a comprehensive look at mortality trends. Data was collected by the National Center for Health Statistics and entered into the National Vital Statistics System.
Shifting Causes of Death
In 2024, suicide became the tenth leading cause of death, taking the place previously held by COVID-19. Heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remained the top three causes of death. The overall age-adjusted death rate saw a notable decrease of 3.8%, falling from 750.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023 to 722.1 in 2024.
Positive Trends for Older Adults
The improvements weren’t limited to the general population. Death rates decreased among older adults, with a 4.4% drop for those aged 55–64, a 2% decrease for those 65–74, a 1.9% decrease for those 75–84, and a 3.2% decrease for individuals 85 and older. Life expectancy also increased across these age groups.
“In 2024, life expectancy at age 65 for the total population was 19.7 years, an increase of 0.2 years from 2023,” the authors stated. For women, life expectancy at age 65 rose from 20.7 years in 2023 to 20.8 years in 2024. Men saw a slightly larger increase, from 18.2 years in 2023 to 18.4 years in 2024. The gap in life expectancy at age 65 between women and men narrowed slightly to 2.4 years in 2024, down from 2.5 years in 2023.
