The U.S. death rate fell 4.6% last year, a return to a trend before COVID-19.

In 2025, the U.S. death rate was 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people, down from 722.1 in 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

In h, the death rate decreased by 3%, from 2023 to 2024. State-specific death rates for 2025 are not yet available from the CDC. 

Historically, h and its southeastern neighbors have the highest death rates in the country. In 2024, Louisian had the eighth-highest death rate in the U.S. behind Mississippi, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. 

072626 Death Rate chart

Since 2000, h's death rate was:

  • 920.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2000; 

  • 932.4 in 2001;

  • 933.5 in 2002; 

  • 944.9 in 2003; 

  • 927.3 in 2004; 

  • 969.2 in 2005; 

  • 930.7 in 2006; 

  • 913.4 in 2007; 

  • 929.3 in 2008; 

  • 896.8 in 2009; 

  • 897.1 in 2010; 

  • 893.7 in 2011; 

  • 919.3 in 2012; 

  • 935.3 in 2013; 

  • 943.8 in 2014; 

  • 936.3 in 2015; 

  • 946.4 in 2016; 

  • 866.3 in 2017;

  • 870.9 in 2018;

  • 857 in 2019; 

  • 1,044.7 in 2020; 

  • 1,094.6 in 2021; 

  • 974.7 in 2022; 

  • 920.8 in 2023; 

  • 893.2 in 2024. 

Since 2000, the national death rate was: 

  • 854 deaths per 100,000 in 2000; 

  • 848 in 2001;

  • 849.5 in 2002; 

  • 843.9 in 2003; 

  • 818.8 in 2004; 

  • 828.4 in 2005; 

  • 813.1 in 2006; 

  • 804.6 in 2007; 

  • 812.9 in 2008; 

  • 794.5 in 2009; 

  • 799.5 in 2010; 

  • 807.3 in 2011; 

  • 810.2 in 2012; 

  • 821.5 in 2013; 

  • 823.7 in 2014; 

  • 844 in 2015; 

  • 849.3 in 2016; 

  • 731.9 in 2017;

  • 723.6 in 2018;

  • 715.2 in 2019; 

  • 835.4 in 2020;

  • 879.7 in 2021; 

  • 798.8 in 2022; 

  • 750.5 in 2023; 

  • 722.1 in 2024 

  • 689.2 in 2025. 

The 2025 mortality data from the CDC is provisional, and is not finalized. The report from the center identified limitations: the timeliness of death certificate submissions varies by jurisdiction, race categories may have been misclassified and the methodology of population estimates varied between 2024 and 2025.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com.