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Health Equity

Leading Causes of Death in Females, 2014 (current listing)

Leading Causes of Death (LCOD) by Age Group, All Females-United States, 2014*

The 2014 mortality data file was updated to include amended information from Tennessee and Massachusetts affecting 125 records previously coded to Accidental discharge of firearms (W32-W34). Additionally, data by state of residence are affected in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia for records where the death occurred in Tennessee or Massachusetts but the decedent was a resident of another state. Leading-cause rankings by state have been corrected and are available from the NVSS Mortality Tables.

Tap table below to expand ages 1-44

Ages 1-44 by Age Group
Rank Age 1-4 Age 5-9 Age 10-14 Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 25-34 Age 35-44
1 Unintentional injuries 28.5% Unintentional injuries 26.6% Unintentional injuries 21.9% Unintentional injuries 37.7% Unintentional injuries 40.5% Unintentional injuries 31.2% Cancer 23.6%
2 Birth defects 10.9% Cancer 19.4% Cancer 15.2% Suicide 15.6% Suicide 11.4% Cancer 12.6% Unintentional injuries 18.2%
3 Homicide 10.1% Birth defects 10.3% Suicide 13.4% Cancer 9.2% Cancer 7.4% Suicide 9.3% Heart disease 12.3%
4 Cancer 8.4% Homicide 6.2% Birth defects 5.3% Homicide 7.1% Homicide 7.1% Heart disease 7.4% Suicide 6.1%
5 Heart disease 4.4% Heart disease 2.9% Heart disease 4.8% Heart disease 4.0% Heart disease 4.6% Chronic lower respiratory diseases  4.7% Chronic liver disease 3.5%
6 Influenza & pneumonia 3.1% Influenza & pneumonia 2.8% Homicide 4.5% Birth defects 3.1% Pregnancy complications 2.7% Pregnancy complications 2.8% Diabetes 2.9%
7 Septicemia 1.8% Stroke 2.5% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 2.4% Pregnancy complications 1.1% Birth defects 1.6% Chronic liver disease 2.0% Stroke 2.7%
8 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 1.4% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 2.2% Benign neoplasms 1.8% (tie rank 8) Stroke 1.0% Influenza & pneumonia 1.2% Diabetes 1.9% Homicide 1.9%
9 Benign neoplasms 1.1% Benign neoplasms 2.1% Influenza & pneumonia 1.8% (tie rank 8) Influenza & pneumonia 0.9% Diabetes 1.1% Influenza & pneumonia 1.8% Influenza & pneumonia 1.9%
10 Stroke 0.8% (tie rank 10)
Perinatal conditions 0.8% (tie rank 10) 		Septicemia 1.6% Stroke 1.4% Anemias 0.8% Stroke 1.0% Stroke 1.7% Septicemia 1.5%

Tap table below to expand ages 45 and older

Ages 45+ by Age Group
Rank Age 45-54 Age 55-64 Age 65+ Age 65-74 Age 75-84 Age 85+ All Ages
1 Cancer 32.8% Cancer 37.7% Heart disease 24.4% Cancer 35.1% Cancer 23.5% Heart disease 28.5% Heart disease 22.3%
2 Heart disease 15.1% Heart disease 16.6% Cancer 19.1% Heart disease 18.1% Heart disease 21.6% Cancer 10.3% Cancer 21.6%
3 Unintentional injuries 9.7% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 5.8% Stroke 6.7% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 8.6% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 8.1% Alzheimer’s disease 8.8% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 6.0%
4 Chronic liver disease 4.2% Unintentional injuries 4.3% Chronic lower respiratory diseases 6.5% Stroke 4.5% Stroke 6.6% Stroke 7.7% Stroke 6.0%
5 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 3.5% Diabetes 3.8% Alzheimer’s disease 6.3% Diabetes 3.7% Alzheimer’s disease 5.2% Chronic lower respiratory disease 4.7% Alzheimer’s disease 5.0%
6 Stroke 3.4% Stroke 3.6% Diabetes 2.6% Unintentional injuries 2.2% Diabetes 3.1% Influenza & pneumonia 2.7% Unintentional injuries 3.9%
7 Suicide 3.4% Chronic liver disease 2.9% Influenza & pneumonia 2.3% Kidney disease 2.1% Unintentional injuries 2.2% Unintentional injuries 2.5% Diabetes 2.7%
8 Diabetes 3.3% Septicemia 2.0% Unintentional injuries 2.3% Septicemia 1.9% Kidney disease 2.1% Diabetes 1.9% Influenza & pneumonia 2.2%
9 Influenza & pneumonia 1.8% Influenza & pneumonia 1.7% Kidney disease 2.0% Influenza & pneumonia 1.7% Influenza & pneumonia 2.1% Kidney disease 1.8% Kidney disease 1.8%
10 Septicemia 1.7% Kidney disease 1.6% Septicemia 1.6% Alzheimer’s disease 1.5% Septicemia 1.7% Hypertension 1.8% Septicemia 1.6%

*Percentages represent total deaths in the age group due to the cause indicated. Rankings are based on number of deaths. Numbers in parentheses indicate tied rankings. The white, black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander race groups include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Some terms have been shortened from those used in the National Vital Statistics Report. See the next page for a listing of the shortened terms in the table and their full unabridged equivalents used in the report. To learn more, visit Mortality Tables or Mortality Data (HHS, CDC, NCHS).

Short and Full Terms

Some terms in the leading causes of death tables have been shortened from those used in the National Vital Statistics Report. Below is a listing of the shortened terms used in the tables and their full, unabridged equivalents used in the report.

Short Terms Full Terms
Aortic aneurism Aortic aneurism and dissection
Appendix disease Diseases of appendix
Benign neoplasms In situ neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior
Birth defects Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities
Bronchitis Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis
Cancer Malignant neoplasms
C. difficile infection Entercolitis due to clostridium
Chronic liver disease Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
Chronic lower respiratory diseases Includes bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, bronchiectasis, and other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Diabetes Diabetes mellitus
Gallbladder disorders Cholethiasis and other disorders of gallbladder
Heart disease Diseases of the heart
HIV disease Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease
Homicide Assault (homicide)
Hypertension Essential (primary) hypertension and hypertensive renal disease
Kidney disease Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis
Kidney infection Infections of kidney
Legal intervention* Physical or other force used by police or other law-enforcing agents, including military on duty, in the course of arresting or attempting to arrest lawbreakers, suppressing disturbances, maintaining order, and other legal action. Includes legal execution and excludes citizen arrest.
Pelvic Inflammatory diseases Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs
Perinatal conditions Certain conditions orginating in the perinatal period
Pneumonitis Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids
Pregnancy complications Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium
Stroke Cerebrovascular diseases
Suicide Intentional self-harm
Unintentional injuries Accidents (unintentional injuries)

*World Health Organization. International statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992. Available at http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/. Accessed April 15, 2010.

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