How Do Americans Die?

A look at various age groups based on data from 2004. From the LATimes:

Ages 1-4

Unintentional injury....1,641
Birth defects.... 569
Cancer.... 399
Homicide.... 377
Heart disease.... 187
Influenza and pneumonia.... 119
Septic infections.... 84
Perinatal period.... 61
Non-cancerous tumors.... 53
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.) 48

Ages 5-9


Unintentional injury.... 1,126
Cancer.... 526
Birth defects.... 205
Homicide.... 122
Heart disease.... 83
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 46
Non-cancerous tumors.... 41
Septic infections.... 38
Aneurysms, strokes.... 34
Influenza and pneumonia.... 33

Ages 10-14

Unintentional injury....1,540
Cancer.... 493
Suicide.... 283
Homicide.... 207
Birth defects.... 184
Heart disease.... 162
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 74
Influenza and pneumonia.... 49
Non-cancerous tumors.... 43
Aneurysms, strokes.... 43

Ages 15-24

Unintentional injury.... 15,449
Homicide.... 5,085
Suicide.... 4,316
Cancer.... 1,709
Heart disease.... 1,038
Birth defects.... 483
Aneurysms, strokes.... 211
HIV/AIDS.... 191
Influenza and pneumonia.... 185
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 179

Ages 25-34

Unintentional injury.... 13,032
Suicide.... 5,074
Homicide.... 4,495
Cancer.... 3,633
Heart disease.... 3,163
HIV/AIDS.... 1,468
Diabetes.... 599
Aneurysms, strokes.... 567
Birth defects.... 420
Septic infections.... 328

Ages 35-44

Unintentional injury.... 16,471
Cancer.... 14,723
Heart disease.... 12,925
Suicide.... 6,638
HIV/AIDS.... 4,826
Homicide.... 2,984
Liver disease.... 2,799
Aneurysms, strokes.... 2,361
Diabetes.... 2,026
Influenza and pneumonia.... 891

Ages 45-54

Cancer.... 49,520
Heart disease.... 37,556
Unintentional injury.... 16,942
Liver disease.... 7,496
Suicide.... 6,906
Aneurysms, strokes.... 6,181
Diabetes.... 5,567
HIV/AIDS.... 4,422
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.) 3,511
Septic infections.... 2,251

Ages 55-64

Cancer.... 96,956
Heart disease.... 63,613
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 11,754
Diabetes.... 10,780
Aneurysms, strokes.... 9,966
Unintentional injury.... 9,651
Liver disease.... 6,569
Suicide.... 4,011
Kidney disease.... 3,963
Septic infections.... 3,745

Ages 65+

Heart disease.... 533,302
Cancer.... 385,847
Aneurysms, strokes.... 130,538
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 105,197
Alzheimer's disease.... 65,313
Diabetes.... 53,956
Influenza and pneumonia.... 52,760
Kidney disease.... 35,105
Unintentional injury.... 35,020
Septic infections.... 25,644

Sources: National Vital Statistics System; National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.