Causes of death
COVID-19 deaths in the US
COVID-19 killed 13,799 people in the United States in 2025, making it the #19 cause of death. Adjusted for the country's aging population, the death rate is 3.2 per 100,000, down 96% from 85.0 in 2020.
COVID-19 deaths per year, 2020 to 2025
Data table
| Year | Deaths | Crude rate per 100,000 | Age-adjusted rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 350,831 | 106.479 | 84.962 |
| 2021 | 416,893 | 125.61 | 104.122 |
| 2022 | 186,552 | 55.973 | 44.454 |
| 2023 | 49,932 | 14.909 | 11.895 |
| 2024 | 31,426 | 9.24 | 7.251 |
| 2025 | 13,799 | 4.057 | 3.201 |
It ranked #3 in 2020 and #19 in 2025, and has been as high as #3.
What COVID-19 means here
COVID-19 is the only cause on this list that did not exist before 2020. It became the third leading cause of death within a year, in both 2020 and 2021, and has dropped steeply since. These are deaths where COVID-19 was the underlying cause. Many more deaths had COVID-19 as a contributing condition.
CDC category: COVID-19 (U07.1)
What stands out in the 2025 data
- It accounted for 0.4% of all US deaths in 2025, about 1 in 224.
- Deaths peaked in 2021 at 416,893. 2025 is 97% below it.
- 72% of the people who died of it were 75 or older.
- Men were 53% of the deaths, and their age-adjusted death rate was 1.5 times the rate for women.
Who dies of COVID-19
| Age | Deaths | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 30 | 0.8 |
| 1 to 4 | 23 | 0.2 |
| 5 to 14 | 12 | 0 |
| 15 to 24 | 39 | 0.1 |
| 25 to 34 | 51 | 0.1 |
| 35 to 44 | 168 | 0.4 |
| 45 to 54 | 308 | 0.8 |
| 55 to 64 | 903 | 2.2 |
| 65 to 74 | 2,385 | 6.7 |
| 75 to 84 | 4,379 | 22.7 |
| 85 and over | 5,501 | 85.5 |
| Sex | Deaths | Age-adjusted rate |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 6,528 | 2.6 |
| Men | 7,271 | 3.9 |
Common questions
How many people die of COVID-19 in the US each year?
COVID-19 caused 13,799 deaths in the United States in 2025 (CDC provisional data), compared with 350,831 in 2020.
Is the COVID-19 death rate going up or down?
The age-adjusted death rate for COVID-19 was 3.2 per 100,000 in 2025, down 96% from 85.0 in 2020. Age adjustment removes the effect of the population getting older, so it shows whether the risk per person changed, not just the raw count.
Where does COVID-19 rank among causes of death?
It ranked #3 in 2020 and #19 in 2025, and has been as high as #3. The top causes in 2025 were heart disease, cancer and accidents.
Who dies of COVID-19?
Most deaths, and the highest death rate, were in people aged 85 and over (5,501 deaths in 2025). 7,271 men and 6,528 women died of it.
Where does this data come from?
CDC WONDER, the National Center for Health Statistics death certificate data, using the NCHS list of 113 selected causes. Counts for 2025 are provisional and can be revised slightly upward.
Keep reading
- Flu & pneumonia · 56,617 deaths in 2025, #8
- Heart disease · 695,898 deaths in 2025, #1
- Diabetes · 95,369 deaths in 2025, #7
- Total US deaths by year and month
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death, NCHS 113 selected causes. 2025 counts are provisional. Explore more on the Causes of Death page, or see what kills people your age.