U.S. life expectancy reaches record high of 79.0 years in 2024

U.S. life expectancy at birth rose to about 79.0 years in 2024, the highest level ever recorded, according to mortality figures released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The gain follows a roughly 4 percent drop in the overall age-adjusted death rate and reflects a rebound from the steep pandemic-era declines that pushed life expectancy below 76.5 years in 2021.

The NCHS data show an age-adjusted death rate of 722 deaths per 100,000 people and nearly 3.1 million deaths recorded in 2024. Female life expectancy increased by 0.3 years to 81.4, while male life expectancy rose by 0.7 years to 76.5. Officials and researchers say the shift reflects improvements across several major causes of death rather than a single dramatic factor.

Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, and cancer continued to claim a similar scale of lives; each caused more than 600,000 deaths in 2024, together accounting for a large share of mortality. Still, the heart disease death rate fell by about 3 percent for the second straight year. Dr. Sadiya Khan of Northwestern University attributes part of that decline to advances in medical treatment and to modest gains in weight management and cardiovascular risk control.

Deaths from unintentional injuries, a category that includes drug overdoses, registered the largest decline among major cause groups, falling by more than 14 percent in 2024. Public‑health researchers point to a sustained improvement in the drug overdose epidemic as a key contributor to the rebound in life expectancy. Andrew Stokes of Boston University has emphasized that reductions in overdose deaths have had an outsized effect on recent gains.

COVID-19 mortality fell sharply and no longer appears among the 10 leading causes of death, according to the NCHS tallies. Suicide moved into the top 10 even as reported suicide counts edged down in 2024; homicides also declined. Separate survey data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicate persistent mental‑health challenges: more than 14 million adults reported serious thoughts of suicide in 2024, 4.6 million made a suicide plan, and 2.2 million attempted suicide.

“It’s pretty much good news all the way around,” said Robert Anderson of the NCHS, summarizing the overall pattern of declining mortality for multiple major causes. Still, public health experts caution that the gains are fragile and uneven across communities and age groups, and they stress the need for continued attention to chronic disease prevention, substance use disorder treatment, and mental‑health services.

The NCHS release will be followed by a close review of technical notes and cause‑specific tables to clarify methodology and to confirm whether the figures are preliminary or final. Early indicators suggest the upward trend may have continued into 2025, but full mortality data for that year remain provisional. For those in crisis, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.