Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For more than 30 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting and examining causes of death. The CDC says that they collect and study this information for purposes of determining resources regarding healthcare, but we can also take these statistics to help make our lives better. I was surprised to see that the top 2 account for about 47% (that’s almost HALF!) of the causes of deaths in the United States.

1. Heart Disease

Number of deaths per year: 633,842
Percent of total deaths: 24.1%

2. Cancer

Number of deaths per year: 595,930
Percent of total deaths: 22.7%

3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Number of deaths per year: 155,041
Percent of total deaths: 5.9%

4. Accidents (unintentional injuries)

Number of deaths per year: 146,571
Percent of total deaths: 5.6%

5. Stroke

Number of deaths per year: 140,323
Percent of total deaths: 5.3%

6. Alzheimer’s disease

Number of deaths per year: 110,561
Percent of total deaths: 3.9%

7. Diabetes

Number of deaths per year: 79,535
Percent of total deaths: 3.0%

8. Influenza and pneumonia

Number of deaths per year: 57,062
Percent of total deaths: 2.2%

9. Kidney disease

Number of deaths per year: 49,959
Percent of total deaths: 1.9%

10. Suicide

Number of deaths per year: 44,193
Percent of total deaths: 1.7%

11. Septicemia (blood poisoning)

Number of deaths per year: 40,685
Percent of total deaths: 1.5%

12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis

Number of deaths per year: 40,265
Percent of total deaths: 1.5%

All of these causes of death remind us about how important Life Insurance is because a lot of these are unexpected—with the exception of suicide, of course. That’s why you need to have Life Insurance in place before any of these things either happen or are diagnosed.

If you’re thinking about getting Life Insurance, give us a call in Fort Myers 239-210-7700 or in Naples 239-210-7710. You can also click the button below to start a quote online.