NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 125 ■ July 2013

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

How Did Cause of Death Contribute to Racial Differences in 

Life Expectancy in the United States in 2010?

Kenneth D. Kochanek, M.A.; Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D.; and Robert N. Anderson, Ph.D.

Key findings 

Data from the National 

Vital Statistics System, 

Mortality

• In 2010, life expectancy 

for the black population was 

3.8 years lower than that of 

the white population. This 

difference was due to higher 

death rates for the black 

population for heart disease, 

cancer, homicide, diabetes, and 

perinatal conditions.

• Life expectancy for black 

males was 4.7 years lower 

than that of white males. This 

difference was due to higher 

death rates for black males for 

heart disease, homicide, cancer, 

stroke, and perinatal conditions.

• Life expectancy for black 

females was 3.3 years lower 

than that of white females. This 

difference was due to higher 

death rates for black females 

for heart disease, cancer, 

diabetes, perinatal conditions, 

and stroke.

The trend in U.S. life expectancy since 1900 has been one of gradual 

improvement (1). In 2010 life expectancy at birth was 78.7 years, an increase 

of 11% since 1970. For the white population, life expectancy increased 10%, 

and for the black population the increase was 17%. Nevertheless, differences 

in life expectancy by race have been observed and have persisted at least since 

official estimates have been recorded. Measuring health disparities, including 

life expectancy at birth, is part of the Healthy People 2020 recommendations 

(2). These disparities can be examined by looking at the leading causes of 

death and how these causes influence life expectancy at birth. In this report, 

differences in the leading causes of death among black and white populations 

are examined to determine which causes contributed to the difference in life 

expectancy between the black and white populations in 2010.

Keywords: mortality • disparities • National Vital Statistics System

What are the current trends in life expectancy?

Life expectancy at birth increased from 70.8 years in 1970 to 78.7 years in 

2010 for the total population (an 11% increase) (Figure 1). For white persons, 

Figure 1. Life expectancy, by race: United States, 1970–2010

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

0

65

70

75

80

Black

White

All races

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Percent
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 125 ■ July 2013

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the increase was from 71.7 years to 78.9 years (10% increase), and for black persons from 64.1 

years to 75.1 years (17% increase). The gap in life expectancy between the white and black 

populations has decreased, from 7.6 years in 1970 to 3.8 years in 2010, but the disparity still 

exists.

How does life expectancy differ by race and sex?

The U.S. life expectancy at birth in 2010 was 78.7 years. Among the major race-sex groups, white 

females continued to have the highest life expectancy at birth (81.3 years), followed by black 

females (78.0 years), white males (76.5 years), and black males (71.8 years) (Figure 2) (1).

Figure 2. Life expectancy at birth, by race and sex: United States, 2010

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

0

65

70

75

80

85

90

All races White Black

Both sexes Male Female

Age in years

78.7 78.9

75.1

76.2 76.5

71.8

81.0 81.3

78.0
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What causes of death influenced the difference in life expectancy between 

the black and white populations in 2010?

• Life expectancy for the black population was lower (3.8 years) than life expectancy for 

the white population because of higher death rates due to heart disease, cancer, homicide, 

diabetes, and perinatal conditions (Figure 3), which accounted for 60% of the black 

population disadvantage. Higher heart disease mortality for the black population accounted 

for a loss of 1.007 years in life expectancy.

• The difference was reduced somewhat by lower death rates due to suicide; unintentional 

injuries; Chronic lower respiratory diseases (chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD, and 

asthma); Alzheimer’s disease; and Chronic liver disease, which accounted for 91% of the 

black population advantage in life expectancy.

• The black disadvantage outweighed any advantages with respect to the diseases listed in 

Figure 3.

Figure 3. Contribution of the leading causes of death to the difference in life expectancy between black and white persons: 

United States, 2010

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

–1.2 –1.0 –0.8 –0.6 –0.4

Loss or gain in life expectancy in years

–0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4

Suicide

Unintentional injuries

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Alzheimer's disease

Chronic liver disease

Perinatal conditions

Diabetes

Homicide

Cancer

Heart disease

Black disadvantage

Black advantage

–1.007

–0.634

–0.500

–0.332

–0.306

0.058

0.060

0.178

0.182

0.199
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 125 ■ July 2013

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What causes of death influenced the difference in life expectancy between 

black and white males in 2010?

• Black male life expectancy was 4.7 years lower than that for white males.

• Higher death rates for black males due to heart disease, homicide, cancer, stroke, and 

perinatal conditions accounted for 65% of the black male disadvantage (Figure 4).

• Heart disease accounted for a loss of 1.117 years in life expectancy for black males.

• Lower death rates for black males due to suicide, unintentional injuries, Chronic liver 

disease, Chronic lower respiratory diseases, and Parkinson’s disease accounted for 96% of 

the black male advantage.

Suicide

Unintentional injuries

Chronic liver disease

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Parkinson's disease

Perinatal conditions

Cerebrovascular diseases

Cancer

Homicide

Heart disease

–1.2 –1.0 –0.8 –0.6 –0.4 –0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4

–1.117

–0.870

–0.801

–0.317

–0.317

0.039

0.044

0.061

0.144

0.265

Loss or gain in life expectancy in years

Black disadvantage

Black advantage

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

Figure 4. Contribution of leading causes of death to the difference in life expectancy between black and white males: 

United States, 2010
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What causes of death influenced the difference in life expectancy between 

black and white females in 2010?

• Black female life expectancy was 3.3 years lower than that for the white females.

• Higher death rates for black females due to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, perinatal 

conditions, and stroke accounted for 61% of the black female disadvantage (Figure 5).

• Heart disease accounted for a loss of 0.995 years in life expectancy for black females.

• Lower death rates for black females due to Chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional 

injuries, suicide, Alzheimer’s disease, and Chronic liver disease accounted for 93% of the 

black female advantage.

Loss or gain in life expectancy in years

Black disadvantage

Black advantage

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

Figure 5. Contribution of leading causes of death to the difference in life expectancy between black and white females: 

United States, 2010

–1.2 –1.0 –0.8 –0.6 –0.4 –0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Unintentional injuries

Suicide

Alzheimer's disease

Chronic liver disease

Cerebrovascular diseases

Perinatal conditions

Diabetes

Cancer

–0.995 Heart disease

–0.492

–0.342

–0.294

–0.275

0.040

0.100

0.072

0.146

0.236

Summary

Life expectancy at birth has increased steadily to a record high 78.7 years in 2010. But differences 

between the white and black populations still exist, with a gap in life expectancy of 3.8 years. 

These disparities in life expectancy at birth between the black and white populations can be 

examined to determine which leading causes of death contribute most to the differences.

In 2010, life expectancy for the black population was lower than for the white population, 

mostly due to disparities in death rates from heart disease, cancer, and homicide. Similarly, the 

differences between black and white male life expectancy (4.7 years) were due to disparities in 

death rates from heart disease, homicide, and cancer. For black females, diabetes is added to heart 

disease and cancer as the major causes contributing to the differences in life expectancy (3.3 years) 

compared with white females.
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The gap in life expectancy between the white and black populations would have been larger 

than 3.8 years if not for the lower death rates for the black population for suicide, unintentional 

injuries, and Chronic lower respiratory diseases. These causes show a black advantage by 

decreasing the gap in life expectancy. Without the advantage of these three causes of death, the 

gap in life expectancy would increase to 4.4 years. For black males, the causes that show an 

advantage over white males were suicide, unintentional injuries, and Chronic liver disease, while 

the advantageous causes for black females were the same as the causes for the black population.

This report is the first in a series to explore the causes of death contributing to differences in life 

expectancy between detailed ethnic and racial populations in the United States.

Definitions

Cause-of-death classification: Medical information—including injury diagnoses and external 

causes of injury—that is entered on death certificates filed in the United States, and is classified 

and coded in accordance with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related 

Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD–10) (3). Corresponding cause-of-death categories and 

ICD–10 codes presented in this report are as follows:

Heart disease [Diseases of heart (I00–I09,I11,I13,I20–I51)]

Cancer [Malignant neoplasms (C00–C97)]

Stroke [Cerebrovascular diseases (I60–I69)]

Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40–J47)

Unintentional injuries [Accidents (V01–X59,Y85–Y86)]

Alzheimer’s disease (G30)

Diabetes [Diabetes mellitus (E10–E14)]

Suicide [Intentional self-harm (*U03,X60–X84,Y87.0)]

Chronic liver disease [Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (K70,K73–K74)]

Parkinson’s disease (G20–G21)

Homicide [Assault (*U01–*U02,X85–Y09,Y87.1)]

Perinatal conditions [Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00–P96)]

HIV disease [Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease (B20–B24)]

Life expectancy: Average number of years that a group of infants would live if the group was to 

experience throughout life the age-specific death rates present in the year of birth—also referred 

to as period or current life expectancy (1). Data showing life expectancy for 2010 are based on 

a newly revised methodology and may differ from figures previously published. See the report 

“United States Life Tables, 2008” (4) for more discussion.
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Data source and methods

All data are from the 2010 mortality file from the National Vital Statistics System. Life table 

methodology is explained in the reports “Deaths: Final Data for 2010” (1) and “United States Life 

Tables, 2008” (4). A complete description of the Arriaga life table partitioning methodology can 

be found in references 5 and 6.

About the authors

Kenneth D. Kochanek, Elizabeth Arias, and Robert N. Anderson are with the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, 

Mortality Statistics Branch.

References

1. Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2010. National vital statistics 

reports; vol 61 no 4. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013.

2. HHS. Phase I Report: Recommendations for the framework and format of Healthy People 

2020, Appendix 11. Measuring health disparities and health equity. 2008. Available from: 

http://www.healthypeople.gov/2010/hp2020/advisory/PhaseI/appendix11.htm?visit=1.

3. WHO. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth 

revision (ICD–10). 2nd ed. Geneva, Switzerland. 2004.

4. Arias E. United States life tables, 2008. National vital statistics reports; vol 61 no 3. 

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.

5. Arriaga E. Measuring and explaining the change in life expectancies. Demography 21(1):83–

96. 1984.

6. Arriaga E. Changing trends in mortality decline during the last decades. In: Ruzicka LT, 

Wunsch GJ, Kane P, (eds.). Differential mortality: Methodological issues and biosocial factors. 

New York: Oxford University Press Inc. 1989. 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 125 ■ July 2013

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Suggested citation

Kochanek KD, Arias E, Anderson RN. 

How did cause of death contribute to racial 

differences in life expectancy in the 

United States in 2010? NCHS data brief, no 

125. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for 

Health Statistics. 2013.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Acting Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

Director for Science

Division of Vital Statistics

Delton Atkinson, M.P.H., M.P.H., P.M.P.,

Acting Director

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