US life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says

Associated Press (AP)CenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by By  MIKE STOBBEJanuary 29, 2026 at 06:23 PM
US life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says

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U.S. life expectancy reached a record high of 79 years in 2024, according to the CDC. This increase is attributed to the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced death rates from major causes like heart disease, cancer, and drug overdoses. Preliminary data suggests continued improvement into 2025. While the U.S. saw roughly 3.07 million deaths in 2024, this was a decrease of 18,000 from the previous year, with death rates declining across all racial and ethnic groups. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, but its death rate decreased, and deaths from unintentional injuries, including drug overdoses, saw the most significant drop. Despite the progress, the U.S. still lags behind many other countries in life expectancy.

Keywords

life expectancy 100% death rates 80% covid-19 pandemic 70% drug overdoses 70% heart disease 60% public health 50% cancer 50% mortality 40% cdc 40%

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United States

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