Breast, prostate, and lung cancer are the most common forms of the disease

Explore more statistics about cancer

The American Cancer Society's Cancer Statistics Center estimates there will be more than 2 million new cancer cases and almost 620,000 cancer deaths in the US during the course of 2025. Breast, prostate, and lung cancers remain the most prevalent. This interactive tool provides detailed statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates, allowing users to explore data by state, cancer type, demographics, and risk factors.

Prostate cancer is both manageable and the second-deadliest cancer for men

One in 44 men in the US will die from prostate cancer, while one in eight will be diagnosed with it. Commonly viewed as the safest cancer to have, screenings can save lives—but they can also cause complications for otherwise benign cases of the disease.

US cancer mortality rates have been falling for 25 years

The American Cancer Society's "Cancer Facts & Figures 2025" report provides comprehensive statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates in the United States. Cancer rates in the US continued a long-running downward trend, driven primarily by a steep drop in lung cancers (mostly from a decrease in habitual smoking) and better preventative monitoring. This site leads to incredibly in-depth reports and slides on the current state of the fight against cancer.

Explore interactive global maps of cancer prevalence

Cancer is a ubiquitous disease, with populations across the globe having incidence rates that reflect various risk factors. The Cancer Atlas lets users explore a comprehensive global overview of cancer statistics, including incidence, mortality, prevalence, and survival rates across various regions and Human Development Index categories.

Calculate your risk of developing cancer

Hosted by the National Cancer Institute, this tool provides interactive charts that display the likelihood of dying from various causes—including cancer—based on factors like age, sex, race, and smoking status. By contextualizing cancer risk among other potential health threats, users can create custom charts.

About 40% of cancer cases are linked to preventable risk factors

Maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and consuming a balanced diet can lower cancer risk. Research indicates that about 40% of US cancer cases are linked to preventable factors, including poor diet and inactivity. Understanding these mechanisms empowers individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles for cancer prevention.

Alcohol is responsible for 5% of cancer cases and 4% of cancer deaths in the US

Alcohol consumption is linked to at least eight different types of cancer, including liver, breast, and throat. The risk comes from ethanol, which turns into DNA-damaging acetaldehyde. Experts recommend limiting intake or quitting altogether to reduce long-term health risks.

Roughly 1 in 5 cancers are caused by viruses

About 20% of cancers are caused by viruses, with seven specific oncoviruses causing between 10% and 15% of cancers worldwide. These include human papillomavirus and hepatitis B and C viruses, which can lead to diseases such as cervical and liver cancer. Understanding the mechanisms of these viruses is crucial for prevention and treatment strategies.

Low cell division rates in heart cells make heart cancer particularly rare

The heart's location in the chest also offers protection from external cancer-causing factors. The disease affects about 3 in every 10,000 people, though most cases arise from metastasis from other body parts.

Most common jobs in the US

Most US government organizations list roughly 500 primary occupations that most Americans fall into, such as teachers and cashiers. Using data from the 2018 through 2022 American Community Survey, these graphics break down the most common jobs in the US by age, gender, and more. See the graphics here.

See MS prevalence by region in the United States

This map underscores that people in the northeastern United States have more cases of the disease as compared to the south, west, and midwest. On an individual level, these numbers may still differ based on genetic makeup and other factors irrespective of where people live.

Visualizing obesity rates across the US

Nearly 70% of adults in the US are either overweight or obese, rates that have tripled over the last 60 years. Severe cases have risen tenfold during this period. Factors like location, income level, and demographics contribute to various obesity levels across the US. Visualize the statistics with this article and chart series.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the US

In the US, ticks account for 90% of all disease transmission from bites, including mosquitoes. And Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US overall, with estimates suggesting there are about 475,000 Lyme cases annually across the nation.

Find fertility clinics and their success rates in your state

This database from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a searchable portal of fertility clinics across the US, with reported data on services, total procedures performed, and live births recorded for as recently as 2022.

Explore the gap in what Americans die from versus news coverage on death causes

Top killers like heart disease, stroke, and liver disease, though they represent a significant burden nationally, are not often extensively covered in the media.

Fungal diseases cost the US around $19B annually

Estimates derived from health insurance claims, death certificates, and hospitalization data suggest that fungus is a significant medical issue. Each year, fungal diseases kill some 7,300 people—roughly the same number of deaths attributed to motor vehicles striking pedestrians. Around 130,000 people are hospitalized with fungal diseases, and the total national cost from fungal diseases is estimated to be about $19B—a figure that roughly matches Jamaica's entire gross domestic product.

Evidence of cancer has been found in a 1.7-million-year-old fossil

Cancer has existed as long as humans have, with some of the earliest evidence found among fossilized bone tumors, human mummies in ancient Egypt, and ancient manuscripts. The oldest example was uncovered in a toe—millions of years old—from an ancestor of modern-day humans.

US regulators have approved an at-home genetic test looking for BRCA gene mutations

The direct-to-consumer genetic test, approved by US regulators in 2018, examines 3 out of the more than 1,000 known breast cancer-linked genetic mutations. It looks for genetic variations that can increase risk for breast, ovarian, and other cancers. These mutations are most commonly found among Jewish people with Eastern European ancestry.

The US had about 155.4 million emergency room visits in 2022

Of those emergency incidents, the largest share of patients were between the ages of 25 and 44 and were in the southern part of the US. More than 43 million of the visits involved injuries, including poisonings.

US macular degeneration burden is based on statistical modeling and Medicare claims

Prevalence estimates for age-related macular degeneration in the US are usually based on the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System. Disease numbers are generated using Bayesian meta-regression (a type of statistical modeling), which pulls together information from multiple sources, including Medicare claims.

One in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes

As of 2021, diabetes claimed at least 6.7 million lives and continues to kill one person every five seconds. Nearly one in two adults with diabetes don't know they have the condition, which is expected to increase in prevalence from 537 million in 2021, to 783 million in 2045.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

3 US maps illustrate transplants, donors, and organ waitlist additions—by state

National UNOS tracking data feeds into these US maps that record all the transplants, donors, and waitlist additions in the last 12 months. California, for example, had the most transplantations in 2025—totaling about 5,200—but it also has the longest waiting list, with more than 20,000 additions in that same period.

Arthritis affects almost 60 million Americans

Arthritis refers to a range of conditions resulting in joint pain that currently affects nearly 60 million people in the United States alone. This resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explores the basics of arthritis and provides resources for understanding its near-universal impact on our population.

Women's health research continues to be underfunded

Health conditions that affect women more than men get less research funding. This interactive collection of graphs details the gendered gap in health research funding. Of the conditions that affect one sex more than another, those that create the...

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

As of 2026, the majority of US states have unsafe radon exposure levels

Alaska, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Washington top the list of states with exposure levels above 4 picocuries per liter for this naturally occurring radioactive gas. While these state-level averages vary from one county, municipality, and home to another, the EPA encourages those in the highest-risk states to test their homes.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

See how Ebola tore through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014-2016.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.

Neutron stars, the remains of some massive stars after they explode in a supernova, are the densest directly observable objects in the universe.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

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