September 16, 2025- Heart disease and cancer have again been determined to be the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2024, according to a CDC report published Sept. 10. The overall death rate, however, decreased by 3.8% to the lowest since 2020. While the overall number of deaths decreased between 2023 and 2024, the number of deaths from heart disease increased by about .86% and the number of cancer deaths increased by about 1.66%