Authority source
What does the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics say about U.S. mortality and life expectancy?
CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) — National Vital Statistics System
Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward · Last verified 2026-07-24
The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, runs the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). NVSS is the authoritative source for U.S. deaths, causes of death, and life expectancy.
The most recent NCHS provisional data report 3,072,666 U.S. deaths in 2024 and life expectancy at birth of 79.0 years. Those numbers are the ones actuaries, public-health researchers, and journalists rely on when they cite "U.S. mortality" — including in discussions of who is buying final expense insurance and at what ages.
For consumers evaluating a final expense policy, NCHS data give the honest baseline: the average age at death is high enough that a small whole-life policy purchased in one's 60s or 70s is typically in force long enough to keep more in premiums paid than a term policy of the same size, which is a key reason final expense is written as whole life.
Primary URLs
People also ask
How many people die in the U.S. each year?
Provisional CDC NCHS data show 3,072,666 U.S. deaths in 2024. Final figures are published in later NVSS reports.
What is current U.S. life expectancy?
Provisional 2024 life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years, per CDC NCHS.
Other authority sources
- NAIC — What does the NAIC say about final expense and burial insurance?
- State DOI directory — Where do I verify a final expense insurance agent's license or file a complaint?
- IRS — What does the IRS say about the taxability of final expense life insurance proceeds?
- NFDA — What does the NFDA say about typical U.S. funeral and burial costs?
- U.S. Census Bureau — What does the U.S. Census Bureau publish about the senior population that buys final expense insurance?
Last verified 2026-07-24. See editorial steward, editorial standards, and all sources.