Deaths: Final Data for 2022.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive national vital statistics registry and surveillance data
PubMed 40712053 · doi:10.15620/cdc/174588
What was done
Descriptive tabulation and analysis of final 2022 mortality data across the United States compiled through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program of the National Center for Health Statistics. Data were derived from official death certificates filed in state registration offices, with causes of death classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10).
What was found
A total of 3,279,857 deaths were reported in the United States in 2022. The age-adjusted death rate was 798.8 deaths per 100,000 standard population, a decrease of 9.2% from 2021. Life expectancy at birth rose by 1.1 years to 77.5 years. Age-specific death rates decreased for all age groups from 15–24 through 85 and older, but increased for age groups 1–4 and 5–14. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, followed by cancer. The infant mortality rate was 5.60 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, a 2.9% increase from 5.44 in 2021.
Why it matters
This report establishes the official annual vital statistics and life expectancy benchmarks for the United States in 2022, capturing national mortality changes primarily driven by reductions in COVID-19 deaths alongside notable increases in pediatric mortality.
Limits
Data quality depends on the accuracy of death certificate reporting and ICD-10 coding. Race standardizations implemented fully since 2018 limit comparability with years prior to 2018. The abstract does not provide granular cause-specific breakdown numbers beyond aggregate rankings.
Cited by
- supports Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
- supports Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and industrialized nations.
- supports The average lifespan in the United States is approximately 79 years.