Despite encouraging mortality declines across all racial groups in 2024, substantial disparities continue to affect minority communities, with some populations facing dramatically higher death rates than others. The data reveals troubling gaps that persist even as overall American life expectancy reaches historic highs.
American Indian and Alaska Native populations face the most severe disparities. After adjusting for misclassification on death certificates, their death rates remain alarmingly high—872.7 per 100,000 for females and 1,213.0 for males. These figures dwarf rates for other groups and underscore the chronic health crisis facing Indigenous communities.
Black Americans also continue experiencing significantly elevated mortality. Death rates for Black females stood at 727.2 per 100,000, while Black males faced rates of 1,094.9—substantially higher than their white counterparts at 646.6 and 871.1 respectively. The persistent gap means Black males die at rates nearly 26% higher than white males.
These disparities exist despite improvements across all groups. Hispanic populations showed the lowest death rates at 454.6 for females and 651.9 for males, while Asian populations had even lower rates at 317.6 and 454.2. The wide variation between racial groups—with American Indian and Alaska Native males experiencing death rates nearly three times higher than Asian females—demonstrates that health equity remains an elusive goal.
The CDC notes that death rates for minority populations are systematically underestimated due to misclassification issues, meaning actual disparities may be even larger than reported.
See: “Mortality in the United States, 2024” (January 29, 2026)
