Parkinson disease was the ninth leading cause of death among US adults aged 65 years and older in 2024.
The report included 39,935 deaths among adults aged 65 years and older in 2024 in which Parkinson disease or secondary parkinsonism was listed as the underlying cause of death. The age-adjusted death rate increased from 57.2 deaths per 100,000 standard population in 2014 to 76.3 in 2021, then declined to 72.0 in 2024.
The trend from 2014 to 2021 was statistically significantly increasing. From 2021 to 2024, the Joinpoint trend was decreasing but not statistically significant. However, a separate pairwise comparison of the single-year rates showed that the 2024 rate was significantly lower than the 2021 rate.
The analysis was based on National Vital Statistics System mortality files accessed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research. Researchers identified deaths using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision underlying cause-of-death codes G20, for Parkinson disease, and G21, for secondary parkinsonism. Age-adjusted death rates were calculated using the direct method and the 2000 US standard population. Pairwise comparisons used z tests, and trends were evaluated using Joinpoint regression.
In 2024, the age-adjusted death rate was 105.6 deaths per 100,000 standard population among men compared with 47.6 among women. The report noted that death rates among men were about twice as high as rates among women throughout the 2014 to 2024 period.
Death rates increased with age. In 2024, rates were 18.5 deaths per 100,000 population among adults aged 65 to 74 years, 97.2 among those aged 75 to 84 years, and 227.0 among those aged 85 years and older. Among men, rates increased from 25.8 to 141.0 to 343.3 across those age groups. Among women, rates increased from 12.0 to 62.2 to 157.2.
The report also showed differences by race and Hispanic origin. White non-Hispanic adults aged 65 years and older had the highest age-adjusted death rate, at 81.7 deaths per 100,000 standard population. Rates were 47.8 among Hispanic adults, 43.9 among Asian non-Hispanic adults, 37.7 among Black non-Hispanic adults, and 35.1 among American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults.
Interpretation of these race and Hispanic-origin findings is limited by potential misclassification on death certificates. The report noted that misclassification may result in underestimation of death rates by as much as 34% among American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults and by 3% among Asian non-Hispanic and Hispanic adults. Race categories were limited to a single reported race, and Hispanic adults could be of any race.
Among men, death rates were 118.9 deaths per 100,000 standard population among White non-Hispanic adults, 67.7 among Hispanic adults, 60.8 among Asian non-Hispanic adults, 60.7 among Black non-Hispanic adults, and 41.2 among American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults. The reported rates among Asian non-Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic men differed by 0.1 death per 100,000 standard population; the report did not indicate that this difference was statistically significant.
Among women, death rates were 54.0 deaths per 100,000 standard population among White non-Hispanic adults, 33.8 among Hispanic adults, 31.9 among Asian non-Hispanic adults, 29.7 among American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults, and 24.1 among Black non-Hispanic adults. The sex difference was statistically significant for all race and Hispanic-origin groups except American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults.
Age-adjusted death rates also varied by state of residence, ranging from 47.7 deaths per 100,000 standard population in New York to 102.1 in Utah. The highest rates were reported in Utah, at 102.1; Kansas, 90.6; Nebraska, 85.7; Maine, 85.0; and Oregon, 84.2. The lowest rates were reported in New York, at 47.7; Alaska, 49.5; the District of Columbia, 51.5; Wyoming, 54.8; and Hawaii, 55.0.
The report was descriptive and did not evaluate reasons for state-level variation. Because the report identified deaths using underlying-cause-of-death coding rather than diagnostic or clinical records, its findings describe Parkinson disease mortality and do not directly measure disease incidence or prevalence.
Disclosures: The CDC Data Brief did not list author conflict-of-interest disclosures.