Murder Drops out of Top 15 Causes of Death in U.S. for First Time Since 1965

Friday, January 13, 2012
(graphic: crimefilenews)
Not since 1965 has the list of the leading causes of death in the U.S. not included homicides. But last year murders did indeed fall from the list, thanks to both a declining homicide rate and a rising number of deaths from certain diseases. Replacing murder at No. 15 was pneumonitis, a condition that mainly strikes the elderly who accidentally ingest food down their windpipe, causing fatal damage to the lungs.
 
The top 15 killers in 2010 were:
 
1. Heart diseases
2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer)
3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (often caused by smoking)
4. Cerebrovascular diseases (including strokes)
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
6. Alzheimer’s disease
7. Diabetes mellitus
8. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney diseases)
9. Influenza and pneumonia
10. Intentional self-harm (suicide)
11. Septicemia (bacterial infection in the blood)
12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
13. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease
14. Parkinson’s disease
15. Pneumonitis
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Homicide Drops Off US List of Top Causes of Death (by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press)
Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2010 (National Vital Statistics Reports) (pdf)
U.S. Murder Rate Drops to 47-Year Low (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

10 Possible Explanations for the Drop in the U.S. Crime Rate (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov) 

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