Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Cancer is a major public health concern that can affect anyone. However, in the United States, certain population groups suffer more from cancer and its effects. This is known as cancer disparitiesExternal Web Site Policy or cancer health disparities. Cancer disparities happen when there are higher rates of new cancer diagnoses and/or cancer deaths between population groups. These can include different racial/ethnic, sex, age, and socioeconomic groups.

Rates of New Cases and Deaths by Race/Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity SEER 22 Rate of New Cases U.S. Mortality Rate
All Races 438.7 149.4
Hispanic 348.1 108.2
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 417.9 158.0
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 302.0 94.5
NH Black 451.8 174.7
NH White 469.9 154.4

Sex and Race/Ethnicity

How Many People Are Diagnosed with Cancer by Sex and Race/Ethnicity?

For all cancers combined, non-Hispanic black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses, and non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander men have the lowest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The rate of new cases for men was 477.8 per 100,000 men per year. The rate of new cases for women was 412.8 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2016–2020 cases.

Male

All Races 477.8
Hispanic 366.9
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 436.2
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 300.4
NH Black 526.9
NH White 509.1

Female

All Races 412.8
Hispanic 341.1
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 410.8
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 307.5
NH Black 402.1
NH White 443.5

SEER 22 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

How Many People Die of Cancer by Sex and Race/Ethnicity?

Among both men and women, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest cancer death rates, and non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander have the lowest cancer death rates. The death rate for men was 177.5 per 100,000 men per year. The death rate for women was 128.7 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2016–2020 cases.

Male

All Races 177.5
Hispanic 129.6
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 188.0
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 110.4
NH Black 216.0
NH White 182.5

Female

All Races 128.7
Hispanic 93.2
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 136.1
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 82.9
NH Black 149.2
NH White 133.0

U.S. Mortality 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

Cancer Sites by Sex and Race/Ethnicity

For all cancers and races/ethnicities combined, men are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and to die from cancer than women.

Estimated New Cancer Cases (2023):
All Races/Ethnicities

Females 948,000 (48%)
Males 1,010,310 (52%)

Estimated Cancer Deaths (2023):
All Races/Ethnicities

Females 287,740 (47%)
Males 322,080 (53%)

How Do Rates of New Cancer Cases Compare by Cancer Site, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity?

The rate of new cancer cases varies significantly by specific cancer site and by race/ethnicity.

Men

For all cancers combined, non-Hispanic black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The most common cancers in men are prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectal. The graphs below show the trends in the rates of new cases by race/ethnicity for the three most common cancer sites in men between 2010–2020.

Prostate Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 118.7 120.0 95.9 94.6 74.5 78.1 226.0 229.0 134.9 138.0
2011 113.7 111.0 88.4 88.6 77.7 71.5 219.9 213.8 135.2 127.1
2012 100.7 102.8 81.4 83.1 62.3 65.6 195.7 199.6 111.5 117.1
2013 96.2 95.1 76.9 77.9 60.8 60.1 187.3 186.3 106.2 107.9
2014 87.4 88.1 74.4 73.0 53.4 55.1 172.9 173.9 100.0 99.4
2015 88.1 88.6 65.2 68.4 58.0 56.8 177.2 178.1 104.0 103.2
2016 89.6 89.2 77.7 70.4 57.5 58.5 183.5 182.4 107.2 107.2
2017 91.0 89.8 71.6 72.6 62.3 60.3 189.3 186.8 113.0 111.3
2018 89.5 90.4 68.1 74.7 61.5 62.1 189.6 191.2 115.4 115.5
2019 90.9 90.9 80.4 77.0 63.6 64.1 195.4 195.8 118.9 119.9
2020 75.0 - 68.4 - 52.1 - 164.3 102.9 -
Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 41.6 41.4 70.0 65.1 50.7 50.4 88.6 90.3 76.7 76.4
2011 41.2 40.2 59.9 63.4 48.6 49.5 87.2 87.5 74.7 74.7
2012 37.6 39.1 56.3 61.8 48.7 48.6 86.7 84.8 73.0 72.9
2013 39.0 38.0 66.6 60.1 49.0 47.8 80.9 82.1 70.4 71.2
2014 36.4 36.9 57.3 58.6 44.6 46.9 81.2 79.6 69.8 69.6
2015 35.2 35.9 58.5 57.0 47.6 46.1 77.5 77.1 68.2 68.0
2016 35.1 34.9 49.1 55.5 45.2 45.3 74.3 74.7 66.3 66.4
2017 33.8 33.9 56.4 54.1 45.7 44.5 73.0 72.4 65.2 64.8
2018 32.9 32.9 49.5 52.7 42.5 43.7 70.0 70.1 62.1 62.6
2019 32.4 32.0 54.6 51.3 42.9 42.9 67.0 67.9 60.7 60.4
2020 26.1 - 47.9 - 35.7 - 58.5 - 53.9 -
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 45.1 44.4 60.1 60.0 42.5 42.1 62.7 61.8 48.7 48.7
2011 43.7 43.9 62.1 58.8 42.2 41.3 61.6 60.4 47.3 47.4
2012 43.4 43.5 54.6 57.7 39.1 40.5 57.7 59.1 46.2 46.1
2013 42.4 43.1 50.9 56.6 39.5 39.8 57.5 57.8 45.2 45.7
2014 42.1 42.6 58.6 55.6 39.8 39.0 55.5 56.5 45.8 45.2
2015 43.6 42.2 55.8 54.5 37.1 38.3 55.6 55.2 45.0 44.7
2016 41.0 41.7 57.6 53.5 38.5 37.6 54.1 54.0 43.9 44.2
2017 40.9 41.3 49.5 52.5 36.6 36.9 51.8 52.8 43.3 43.8
2018 41.1 40.9 49.4 51.5 36.0 36.2 50.8 51.6 43.3 43.3
2019 40.7 40.5 52.0 50.5 35.9 35.5 52.0 50.4 43.2 42.9
2020 34.9 - 53.4 - 30.2 - 44.2 - 38.1 -

Women

For all cancers combined, non-Hispanic white women have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The most common cancers in women are breast, lung and bronchus, and colorectal. The graphs below show the trends in the rates of new cases by race/ethnicity for the three most common cancer sites in women between 2010–2020.

Female Breast Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 90.2 92.3 109.1 107.3 96.5 95.9 122.1 125.1 132.6 133.0
2011 95.2 93.4 111.4 108.0 97.9 97.6 127.2 126.0 134.6 133.7
2012 93.7 94.5 113.9 108.7 98.5 99.2 127.3 126.8 134.4 134.5
2013 98.0 95.6 97.9 109.5 102.8 100.9 129.3 127.6 135.1 135.3
2014 96.0 96.8 112.7 110.2 101.0 102.6 129.6 128.5 136.9 136.0
2015 98.8 97.9 116.0 110.9 105.0 104.3 130.4 129.3 137.6 136.8
2016 98.8 99.1 99.7 111.7 102.7 106.1 129.2 130.2 135.8 137.6
2017 99.6 100.2 109.9 112.5 107.8 107.9 130.5 131.0 137.3 138.4
2018 99.5 101.4 111.3 113.2 111.6 109.7 127.8 131.9 138.3 139.2
2019 104.2 102.6 122.6 114.0 111.9 111.6 135.5 132.8 141.9 139.9
2020 91.1 - 93.8 - 98.5 - 119.1 - 128.3 -
Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 24.5 24.7 43.7 43.5 28.2 28.6 52.8 51.2 58.5 58.3
2011 24.4 24.5 44.1 43.6 28.7 28.6 49.1 50.4 57.6 57.8
2012 24.5 24.2 42.7 43.8 29.3 28.7 50.9 49.6 57.3 57.3
2013 24.2 24.0 39.0 43.9 29.2 28.7 47.6 48.9 56.6 56.8
2014 23.5 23.8 40.2 44.0 28.4 28.7 47.7 48.1 56.3 56.3
2015 23.6 23.6 49.8 44.2 28.3 28.7 46.9 47.4 55.9 55.8
2016 23.7 23.4 49.9 44.3 28.4 28.8 46.8 46.7 55.4 55.4
2017 23.3 23.2 44.2 44.5 29.2 28.8 45.4 46.0 55.1 54.9
2018 22.5 23.0 46.2 44.6 28.5 28.8 45.4 45.3 53.6 54.0
2019 23.0 22.8 39.5 44.8 29.1 28.8 45.5 44.6 53.3 53.1
2020 19.4 - 42.3 - 23.9 - 37.2 - 46.3 -
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2010 30.4 29.9 43.2 45.6 31.5 31.6 47.1 45.8 36.9 36.9
2011 29.8 29.8 49.2 46.7 30.3 30.3 44.7 44.8 36.0 36.0
2012 28.9 29.7 47.4 47.7 29.4 29.0 43.1 43.7 35.0 35.1
2013 28.8 29.5 47.5 48.8 26.9 27.8 42.5 42.7 34.6 34.7
2014 29.9 29.4 52.5 49.9 27.8 27.4 41.6 41.7 34.4 34.4
2015 29.0 29.3 51.1 51.1 27.2 27.0 39.7 40.8 34.4 34.1
2016 29.9 29.2 50.7 52.3 26.8 26.6 40.4 39.8 34.1 33.7
2017 29.6 29.1 48.3 48.5 26.8 26.2 37.9 38.9 33.1 33.4
2018 29.2 29.0 46.0 44.9 25.0 25.8 38.7 38.0 32.8 33.1
2019 28.2 28.9 40.9 41.6 25.5 25.4 37.6 37.1 32.9 32.8
2020 25.4 - 40.1 - 21.7 - 31.7 - 29.6 -

How Do Cancer Death Rates Compare by Cancer Site, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity?

Cancer death rates vary significantly by specific cancer site and by race/ethnicity.

Men

Non-Hispanic black men have the highest death rate for all cancer sites combined. The most common causes of cancer death in men are lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectal cancer. The graphs below show the trends in death rates by race/ethnicity for the three most common causes of cancer death in men between 2011–2020.

Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 29.1 29.3 54.1 55.9 33.2 33.2 72.0 72.3 60.3 60.4
2012 27.3 27.9 53.2 53.4 32.9 32.4 70.8 70.1 58.6 58.4
2013 26.7 26.7 50.4 51.0 31.2 31.6 67.9 68.0 56.4 56.5
2014 25.8 25.4 50.8 48.7 30.5 30.9 64.3 64.2 54.5 54.7
2015 25.1 24.3 48.8 46.5 30.5 30.1 60.8 60.6 52.2 52.0
2016 23.3 23.1 42.1 44.3 28.8 28.6 57.0 57.3 49.5 49.4
2017 21.8 22.1 42.5 42.3 27.5 27.1 53.7 54.1 47.0 47.0
2018 20.7 21.1 42.2 40.4 24.9 25.7 50.4 51.1 44.4 44.7
2019 20.6 20.1 37.1 38.6 24.0 24.4 49.0 48.3 42.4 42.5
2020 18.7 19.2 36.4 36.8 23.7 23.1 45.7 45.6 40.5 40.4
Prostate Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 17.5 17.0 25.4 23.7 9.5 9.0 44.9 45.2 19.3 19.1
2012 16.6 16.8 19.8 23.1 8.5 8.9 42.9 42.5 18.2 18.6
2013 16.1 16.5 21.2 22.5 8.8 8.9 40.2 39.9 18.1 18.0
2014 15.7 16.2 22.5 21.9 8.5 8.8 38.8 39.4 18.0 18.0
2015 16.2 16.0 24.4 21.4 9.2 8.8 38.6 38.9 17.7 17.9
2016 15.9 15.7 21.1 20.9 8.6 8.7 39.4 38.4 18.3 17.9
2017 15.9 15.5 18.6 20.3 8.5 8.7 37.3 38.0 17.8 17.8
2018 15.5 15.2 20.3 19.8 9.2 8.6 37.7 37.5 17.8 17.8
2019 15.0 15.0 21.3 19.3 7.9 8.6 36.6 37.0 17.5 17.7
2020 14.4 14.7 16.7 18.8 8.8 8.5 36.7 36.5 17.7 17.6
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 15.2 15.4 23.6 23.0 12.8 12.8 26.9 26.5 17.7 17.6
2012 15.0 15.1 17.7 22.8 12.9 12.5 26.1 25.9 17.2 17.3
2013 15.3 14.8 25.0 22.6 12.2 12.3 25.4 25.2 17.0 17.0
2014 14.5 14.6 23.1 22.3 12.1 12.0 23.7 24.6 16.6 16.6
2015 14.2 14.3 26.4 22.1 11.6 11.7 23.8 24.0 16.4 16.3
2016 13.8 14.1 20.9 21.9 10.9 11.5 23.7 23.4 16.1 16.0
2017 14.0 13.8 21.4 21.7 11.5 11.2 22.9 22.8 15.7 15.8
2018 14.1 13.6 20.1 21.4 10.9 11.0 21.9 22.3 15.6 15.5
2019 13.0 13.3 18.5 21.2 10.9 10.7 21.5 21.7 15.1 15.2
2020 13.1 13.1 23.0 21.0 10.6 10.5 21.6 21.2 14.9 14.9

Women

Non-Hispanic black women have the highest death rate for all cancer sites combined, however, rates vary significantly by specific cancer site. The most common causes of cancer death in women are lung and bronchus, breast, and colorectal cancer. The graphs below show the trends in death rates by race/ethnicity for the three most common causes of cancer death in women between 2011–2020.

Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 13.4 13.5 34.5 36.2 18.8 19.1 36.3 36.3 40.6 40.6
2012 13.7 13.5 36.0 35.2 18.0 18.5 35.7 35.7 40.0 39.9
2013 13.3 13.5 35.3 34.3 18.3 18.0 35.2 35.2 39.0 39.2
2014 13.6 13.5 33.2 33.4 18.0 17.5 33.7 33.5 38.3 38.5
2015 13.2 12.9 33.4 32.5 17.3 17.0 31.6 32.0 37.2 37.0
2016 12.3 12.4 31.1 31.7 16.6 16.5 30.7 30.5 35.4 35.5
2017 11.7 11.9 31.0 30.9 15.7 16.0 29.1 29.1 34.2 34.1
2018 11.4 11.5 29.6 30.1 15.0 15.5 27.9 27.8 32.8 32.8
2019 10.9 11.0 30.3 29.3 15.4 15.1 26.8 26.5 31.5 31.5
2020 10.8 10.6 27.7 28.5 14.7 14.7 25.0 25.3 30.1 30.2
Female Breast Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 14.1 14.7 17.0 16.3 11.4 11.4 31.0 31.1 21.5 21.5
2012 14.7 14.5 17.1 16.4 11.4 11.5 30.2 30.1 21.2 21.1
2013 14.6 14.4 15.1 16.6 11.2 11.5 29.1 29.2 20.8 20.8
2014 14.7 14.2 15.0 16.7 11.8 11.5 28.8 28.9 20.5 20.5
2015 13.7 14.1 17.3 16.9 12.0 11.6 28.5 28.5 20.4 20.3
2016 14.0 14.0 17.6 17.1 10.9 11.6 28.3 28.2 20.1 20.1
2017 13.6 13.8 17.9 17.2 12.0 11.7 27.9 27.9 19.9 19.9
2018 13.6 13.7 16.9 17.4 12.3 11.7 27.7 27.6 19.8 19.7
2019 13.9 13.5 19.4 17.6 11.5 11.7 27.8 27.2 19.3 19.5
2020 13.2 13.4 16.2 17.7 11.5 11.8 26.4 26.9 19.3 19.2
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year Hispanic NH American Indian/Alaska Native NH Asian/Pacific Islander NH Black NH White
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2011 9.6 9.6 15.9 16.0 9.4 9.2 18.1 17.6 12.5 12.5
2012 9.3 9.3 15.6 15.7 9.5 9.0 16.6 17.1 12.3 12.3
2013 9.1 9.1 17.3 15.4 8.3 8.8 16.1 16.6 12.1 12.1
2014 8.8 8.8 13.3 15.2 7.9 8.6 15.7 16.1 11.9 11.9
2015 8.7 8.7 14.6 14.9 8.8 8.3 16.0 15.6 11.8 11.7
2016 8.6 8.7 14.2 14.7 8.2 8.1 15.6 15.1 11.5 11.6
2017 8.8 8.6 15.5 14.5 7.8 7.9 15.0 14.7 11.4 11.4
2018 8.4 8.5 13.9 14.2 7.4 7.7 14.2 14.2 11.0 11.1
2019 8.3 8.4 13.7 14.0 7.6 7.5 13.6 13.8 10.9 10.8
2020 8.3 8.3 14.1 13.8 7.5 7.4 13.3 13.4 10.5 10.5

Interactive Statistics with SEER*Explorer

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SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Explore Additional Cancer Statistics

More About Cancer and Cancer Disparities

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about cancer:

Here are some resources for learning more about cancer disparities:

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Estimates of new cases and deaths for 2023 are projections made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), based on earlier reported data.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Statistics Factsheets: Common Cancer Sites. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/disparities.html