The overall U.S. age-adjusted death rate declined 4.6% from 2024 to 2025, reaching its lowest recorded level.
Heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remained the nation's three leading causes of death.
While death rates fell across all age groups, differences among demographic groups continue to be seen.
New provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that overall mortality in the United States continued to move in a positive direction during 2025.
Although more than three million deaths were recorded during the year, the age-adjusted death rate — which accounts for differences in the population's age makeup — fell by 4.6% compared with 2024.
According to the report, that marks the lowest age-adjusted death rate ever recorded in the United States. The findings are based on nearly all death records received for 2025, giving researchers an early look at nationwide mortality trends before final numbers are released.
What the new numbers show
The CDC estimates that 3,094,593 people died in the United States during 2025. Death rates declined for every age group compared with the previous year, although they remained highest among adults ages 85 and older and lowest among children ages 5 to 14. Men continued to have higher age-adjusted death rates than women.
Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, followed by cancer and unintentional injuries.
The report also noted a change in the rankings of other causes of death. Influenza and pneumonia moved up to become the eighth leading cause of death in 2025, while suicide moved from the tenth to the eleventh position.
The CDC also found differences among racial and ethnic groups. The lowest age-adjusted death rate was reported for the multiracial non-Hispanic population, while the highest was reported for the Black non-Hispanic population.
Rates declined for several groups, remained statistically unchanged for Asian people, and increased for American Indian and Alaska Native people as well as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander people.
What this means for consumers
For most people, these findings offer a broad snapshot of the nation's health rather than information that changes day-to-day decisions.
The report suggests that overall mortality continued to improve in 2025, even as heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death. It also highlights that health outcomes are not uniform across all populations, underscoring the importance of continued public health efforts.
It's also worth remembering that these figures are provisional. The CDC notes that some death records are still being processed, and certain causes of death — particularly unintentional injuries — can take longer to be finalized.
As additional data become available, some numbers may change, but the report provides an early picture of mortality trends across the country.