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Rate of Breast Cancer by Race and Ethnicity

"Incidence rate" means how many women out of a given number get the disease each year. The graph below shows how many women out of 100,000 got breast cancer each year during the years 1975–2004. The year 2004 is the most recent year for which numbers have been reported. The breast cancer incidence rate is grouped by race and ethnicity.

For example, you can see that white women had the highest incidence rate for breast cancer. Black women had the second highest incidence of getting breast cancer, followed by Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Female Breast Cancer
SEER Incidence Rates^† by Race and Ethnicity, U.S., 1975–2004^‡

*The group, or category, called "Hispanic" may be included in other categories like White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian/PI).
^†Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
^‡Source: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, National Cancer Institute, NCI

Deaths from Breast Cancer by Race and Ethnicity

From 1969–2004, the rate of women dying from breast cancer has varied, depending on women's race and ethnicity. The graph below shows that in 2004, black women were more likely to die of breast cancer than any other group. White women had the second highest rate of deaths from breast cancer, followed by women who are Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander.

Female Breast Cancer
U.S. Death Rates^† by Race and Ethnicity, 1969–2004^‡

*The group, or category, called "Hispanic" may be included in other categories like White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian/PI).
^†Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
^‡Source: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)