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Colorectal Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

The rate of people getting colorectal cancer or dying from colorectal cancer varies by race and ethnicity.

Incidence Rates by Race/Ethnicity and Sex

“Incidence rate” means how many people out of a given number get the disease each year. The graph below shows how many people out of 100,000 got colorectal cancer each year during the years 1999–2014. The year 2014 is the most recent year for which numbers have been reported. The colorectal cancer incidence rate is grouped by race and ethnicity.

The graph below shows that in 2014, among men, black men had the highest rate of getting colorectal cancer, followed by white, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) men. Among women, black women had the highest rate of getting cancer, followed by white, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander women.

Line charts showing the changes in colorectal cancer incidence rates for males of various races and ethnicities.

Graph Data

Colorectal Cancer
Incidence Rates* by Race and Ethnicity,† Male, United States, 1999–2014¶§
Year All Races White Black Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Hispanic
1999 67.0 66.7 71.4 48.7 55.3 54.6
2000 66.5 66.1 72.0 51.0 43.0 55.2
2001 65.0 64.8 69.9 48.7 42.8 55.3
2002 63.3 62.7 71.5 49.4 41.2 53.9
2003 62.0 61.2 72.7 47.8 42.0 53.0
2004 60.0 59.2 70.5 44.8 40.9 54.3
2005 58.1 57.3 67.6 43.5 40.9 51.6
2006 55.7 54.8 66.1 43.4 40.7 51.8
2007 54.5 53.5 64.6 42.3 38.9 49.2
2008 53.0 51.8 64.9 41.7 36.2 50.2
2009 50.2 48.9 62.3 39.3 37.0 46.8
2010 47.8 46.6 59.1 39.6 34.8 43.8
2011 47.0 45.9 56.2 39.1 36.6 44.3
2012 45.4 44.4 54.3 36.4 32.8 41.7
2013 44.5 43.4 53.6 35.8 36.0 41.0
2014 43.8 43.0 50.4 34.5 31.4 39.8
Line charts showing the changes in colorectal cancer incidence rates for females of various races and ethnicities.

Graph Data

Colorectal Cancer
Incidence Rates* by Race and Ethnicity,† Female, United States, 1999–2014¶§
Year All Races White Black Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Hispanic
1999 48.1 47.3 55.1 37.3 34.2 39.9
2000 47.7 47.1 54.3 35.1 31.8 39.2
2001 47.2 46.6 54.1 36.4 33.8 38.3
2002 46.1 45.3 54.3 36.1 31.5 37.5
2003 45.3 44.3 54.5 32.9 34.0 37.1
2004 44.0 43.1 52.7 33.8 32.2 36.8
2005 43.0 42.1 51.3 33.8 30.4 36.3
2006 42.1 41.1 51.0 33.1 32.0 35.5
2007 40.9 40.0 48.5 31.9 31.9 34.9
2008 39.8 38.9 47.1 32.2 31.4 32.8
2009 38.1 37.2 45.1 30.5 30.1 32.8
2010 36.4 35.4 43.5 29.7 29.6 30.9
2011 35.4 34.6 41.2 28.4 26.1 30.1
2012 34.4 33.7 40.2 26.7 27.0 28.8
2013 33.8 33.1 39.3 25.2 27.3 28.6
2014 33.6 32.8 38.9 25.3 26.7 28.7

Sources: CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

*Rates are the number of cases per 100,000 persons and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population (19 age groups – Census P25–1130). For more information, see the USCS technical notes.

†Race categories are not mutually exclusive from Hispanic origin. Rates are not presented for persons of unknown or other race. Data for specified racial or ethnic populations other than white and black should be interpreted with caution. For more information, see the USCS technical notes.

Data are compiled from cancer registries that meet the data quality criteria for all invasive cancer sites combined for all years, 1999–2014 (covering approximately 97% of the U.S. population). See registry-specific data quality information for all years, 1999–2014. Use caution when comparing incidence and death rates because of potential differences in population coverage.

§Invasive cancer excludes basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin except when these occur on the skin of the genital organs, and in situ cancers except urinary bladder.

Behavior recode for analysis used for 1999–2014 individual years.

Death Rates by Race/Ethnicity and Sex

From 1999–2014, the rate of people dying from colorectal cancer has varied, depending on their race and ethnicity. The graphs below show that in 2014, among men, black men were more likely to die of colorectal cancer than any other group, followed by white, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander men. Among women, black women were more likely to die of colorectal cancer than any other group, followed by white, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander women.

Line charts showing the changes in colorectal cancer death rates for males of various races and ethnicities.

Graph Data

Colorectal Cancer
Death Rates* by Race and Ethnicity,† Male, United States, 1999–2014§
Year All Races White Black Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Hispanic
1999 25.5 25.0 34.5 14.5 17.4 18.2
2000 25.1 24.5 35.0 16.2 17.4 17.9
2001 24.4 23.8 33.4 16.2 14.9 18.0
2002 24.0 23.4 33.7 16.2 16.8 17.6
2003 23.2 22.6 32.5 14.4 16.9 17.6
2004 21.8 21.3 30.6 13.9 17.1 16.8
2005 21.2 20.6 30.9 13.8 16.5 16.4
2006 20.7 20.0 31.3 12.9 14.1 16.4
2007 20.2 19.7 29.3 13.0 14.4 15.7
2008 19.6 19.0 28.7 14.0 16.0 16.4
2009 19.1 18.6 27.0 12.8 13.4 16.1
2010 18.7 18.1 27.5 13.1 14.2 15.7
2011 18.1 17.5 26.2 12.7 15.1 15.1
2012 17.6 17.1 25.4 12.6 11.6 14.9
2013 17.4 16.9 24.6 11.9 15.0 15.1
2014 16.9 16.4 23.1 11.9 13.8 14.3
Line charts showing the changes in colorectal cancer death rates for females of various races and ethnicities.

Graph Data

Colorectal Cancer
Death Rates* by Race and Ethnicity,† Female, United States, 1999–2014§
Year All Races White Black Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Hispanic
1999 17.8 17.2 24.7 10.4 11.7 11.9
2000 17.5 17.0 23.9 9.9 10.7 11.4
2001 17.1 16.5 24.3 11.2 11.5 11.8
2002 16.6 16.1 23.0 10.3 13.4 11.5
2003 16.2 15.6 22.9 10.9 10.2 11.1
2004 15.3 14.9 21.4 9.9 10.1 10.7
2005 14.8 14.3 21.4 10.0 10.0 10.9
2006 14.7 14.3 20.3 10.1 9.8 11.3
2007 14.4 13.9 19.9 10.0 10.9 10.6
2008 14.0 13.5 19.0 9.9 13.4 9.9
2009 13.3 12.8 18.5 8.8 12.5 10.1
2010 13.0 12.6 17.6 9.8 9.7 9.4
2011 12.8 12.3 17.7 9.3 10.2 9.5
2012 12.4 12.0 16.2 9.3 10.6 9.2
2013 12.1 11.9 15.7 8.1 10.8 9.0
2014 11.9 11.7 15.3 7.8 8.6 8.7

*Rates are the number of deaths per 100,000 persons and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population (19 age groups – Census P25–1130). For more information, see the USCS technical notes.

†Race categories are not mutually exclusive from Hispanic origin. Rates are not presented for persons of unknown or other race. Data for specified racial or ethnic populations other than white and black should be interpreted with caution. For more information, see the USCS technical notes.

§Data are from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Data for death rates cover 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution when comparing incidence and death rates because of potential differences in population coverage.

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Rates by Race and Ethnicity for Other Kinds of Cancer

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