USAFacts Founder Steve Ballmer will debut the final Just the Facts episodes on October 15. We hope this series has provided factual food for thought this election season.
Here’s a sneak preview of some of the data touched on in tomorrow’s videos, which will cover healthcare and America by the numbers. Be sure to catch them right here. |
|
The leading causes of death in the US
|
|
It might be easy to assume COVID-19 is still a leading cause of death in the US, but the virus stopped being one of the top three causes in 2022. While heart disease and cancer continue to be major causes, accidents — including drug overdoses and car crashes — have surpassed COVID-related losses.
- In 2022, heart disease caused 21% of all deaths nationwide, while cancer accounted for 19%.
|
|
- Approximately 231,000 people died from accidents like poisonings, falls, car crashes, and other transportation accidents. These accounted for 7% of deaths in 2022.
- Accidental drug overdoses made up around 3% of all deaths in 2022. They were especially prevalent among people between the ages of 18 and 45, causing one-quarter of deaths in this demographic.
- Heart disease killed nearly 211 per 100,000 people, while cancer killed 182.5 out of 100,000. These two diseases were responsible for over 40% of deaths among adults over 45.
- Motor vehicle crashes were one of the top causes of death among children, accounting for 15% of all deaths among people under 18.
|
|
How US diversity is changing
|
|
The US is more diverse than ever: the non-white population share has grown from 24.4% of the population in 1990 to 42.6% in 2023. Which racial group is growing the fastest?
- In 2023, 58.4% of the population identified as non-Hispanic white, 19.5% as Hispanic, 12.6% as Black, and 6.4% as Asian or Pacific Islander, while 3.2% did not identify with any of these groups.
|
|
- Twelve out of every 20 people in the US identified as non-Hispanic white, compared to about 15 out of every 20 in 1990.
- The Hispanic population is now the largest non-white group in the US, a distinction held by Black Americans in 1990. The Black population increased from 29 million then to 42 million in 2022, but its share of the total population remained relatively steady, rising from 11.8% to 12.6%.
- The Asian and Pacific Islander population is the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the country. Between 2000 and 2023, it nearly doubled.
- The Census Bureau projects the multiracial population to be the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group over the next four decades, followed by the Asian and Pacific Islander population and Hispanic population.
|
|
The inflation rate fell to 2.4% in September, the lowest rate of increase since February 2021. See charts on this on USAFacts’ Instagram.
An appeals court is considering a case regarding the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA. Here are the numbers on DACA recipients. In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, take a look at this article from our archives on FEMA’s disaster mitigation and preparedness funding.
|
|
One last fact: Election edition
|
|
According to Census Bureau data, Oregon had the nation’s highest voter registration rate in 2022: 82.7%. Washington, DC, was the only other locale with a rate higher than 80% at 82.4%. North Carolina’s rate of 60.8% was the nation’s lowest. |
|
|
|
|
