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 21 Rate of New Cases U.S. Mortality Rate
All Races 442.4 155.5
White 452.1 156.3
Black 440.4 177.5
Hispanic 348.4 110.8
Asian/Pacific Islander 302.1 97.2
American Indian/Alaska Native 310.1 141.1

Sex and Race/Ethnicity

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

For all cancers combined, black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses, and Asian/Pacific Islander women have the lowest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The rate of new cases for men was 480.3 per 100,000 men per year. The rate of new cases for women was 418.3 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2013–2017 cases.

Male
All Races 480.3
White 485.5
Black 515.1
Hispanic 370.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 304.4
American Indian/Alaska Native 321.0
Female
All Races 418.3
White 432.0
Black 390.7
Hispanic 339.5
Asian/Pacific Islander 304.7
American Indian/Alaska Native 305.9

Source: SEER 21 2013–2017, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

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

Among both men and women, blacks have the highest cancer death rates, and Asian/Pacific Islander have the lowest cancer death rates. The death rate for men was 185.5 per 100,000 men per year. The death rate for women was 133.5 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2014–2018 cases.

Male
All Races 185.5
White 185.9
Black 221.1
Hispanic 134.0
Asian/Pacific Islander 114.6
American Indian/Alaska Native 169.3
Female
All Races 133.5
White 134.3
Black 150.5
Hispanic 94.6
Asian/Pacific Islander 84.6
American Indian/Alaska Native 120.1

Source: U.S. Mortality 2014–2018, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

Cancer Sites by Sex and Race/Ethnicity

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

Estimated New Cancer Cases (2020):
All Races/Ethnicities
Females 912,930 (51%)
Males 893,660 (49%)
Estimated Cancer Deaths (2020):
All Races/Ethnicities
Females 285,360 (47%)
Males 321,160 (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, 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 2008–2017.

Prostate Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 151.2 157.3 243.6 256.5 84.5 88.6 81.6 80.9 128.7 131.2
2009 145.5 145.7 241.7 240.5 82.3 81.8 76.2 76.6 125.2 122.8
2010 137.5 135.0 228.5 225.6 75.1 75.6 79.4 72.4 120.8 114.9
2011 136.2 125.1 227.4 211.6 77.8 69.8 66.0 68.5 112.4 107.5
2012 111.4 115.9 197.8 198.4 62.0 64.5 61.0 64.8 97.4 100.6
2013 105.6 107.4 187.4 186.1 59.9 59.6 57.6 61.3 87.8 94.1
2014 97.8 99.5 168.2 174.5 52.4 55.0 58.0 58.0 82.2 88.1
2015 100.8 101.0 169.9 174.6 57.1 56.0 51.4 54.8 79.7 82.4
2016 102.5 102.6 175.9 174.6 55.8 57.0 57.7 51.9 77.8 77.1
2017 104.5 104.3 175.1 174.6 58.4 58.0 49.0 49.1 77.9 72.1
Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 76.6 76.5 89.7 91.5 53.7 52.6 48.5 51.9 39.9 38.7
2009 75.2 74.3 91.9 88.4 51.2 51.7 48.9 50.6 38.7 37.8
2010 71.6 72.1 83.7 85.3 50.7 50.7 56.1 49.3 34.6 37.0
2011 69.5 70.0 81.7 82.3 48.4 49.8 45.9 48.0 36.3 36.2
2012 67.5 68.0 80.5 79.4 48.9 48.8 43.7 46.8 34.6 35.4
2013 65.4 66.0 74.4 76.7 49.3 47.9 51.2 45.6 35.2 34.6
2014 64.3 64.0 75.6 74.0 44.8 47.0 43.9 44.4 33.7 33.9
2015 62.9 62.2 71.2 71.4 47.9 46.2 44.4 43.3 32.6 33.1
2016 60.6 60.4 69.9 68.9 45.1 45.3 37.0 42.2 34.1 32.4
2017 58.2 58.6 65.7 66.5 44.3 44.4 42.3 41.1 31.0 31.7
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 52.9 52.9 64.5 63.7 43.9 44.1 41.6 48.1 47.6 46.2
2009 50.0 50.0 62.9 61.8 43.3 43.2 49.1 46.9 46.3 45.1
2010 47.6 47.2 58.9 59.9 41.9 42.3 48.4 45.8 42.1 44.1
2011 46.1 46.3 57.7 58.1 42.7 41.3 47.7 44.7 44.1 43.0
2012 44.9 45.5 55.8 56.3 38.8 40.4 40.7 43.6 41.2 42.0
2013 43.9 44.6 54.6 54.6 39.6 39.6 41.9 42.5 39.4 41.1
2014 44.9 43.8 50.7 53.0 40.0 38.7 43.3 41.5 39.1 40.1
2015 43.3 43.0 52.9 51.4 36.9 37.9 41.8 40.5 39.6 39.2
2016 42.3 42.2 51.2 49.8 37.9 37.1 41.5 39.5 38.8 38.3
2017 40.9 41.4 47.7 48.3 35.8 36.3 34.5 38.5 38.1 37.4

Women
For all cancers combined, 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 2008–2017.

Female Breast Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 131.9 130.9 121.1 121.6 95.0 94.1 77.2 83.1 93.5 92.0
2009 132.8 130.9 123.8 122.0 93.4 95.3 83.5 82.7 92.5 92.6
2010 127.5 131.0 117.6 122.4 96.5 96.5 82.9 82.3 88.1 93.3
2011 131.0 131.0 124.6 122.8 97.8 97.7 86.8 82.0 98.3 94.0
2012 130.2 131.0 123.0 123.2 98.4 98.9 85.5 81.6 94.3 94.6
2013 131.2 131.0 124.8 123.6 102.6 100.1 73.2 81.2 95.6 95.3
2014 131.6 131.0 125.1 124.1 100.4 101.4 86.1 80.9 95.8 96.0
2015 132.2 131.0 126.4 124.5 104.3 102.6 84.0 80.5 94.1 96.6
2016 130.3 131.0 124.2 124.9 102.0 103.9 75.8 80.1 100.2 97.3
2017 131.0 131.0 123.5 125.3 105.2 105.2 78.4 79.8 97.1 98.0
Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 57.6 57.8 49.0 50.4 28.1 29.1 43.8 37.2 24.7 25.3
2009 56.7 56.3 49.5 49.4 30.2 29.0 34.8 36.8 25.9 25.0
2010 54.6 54.8 50.1 48.5 28.0 29.0 33.9 36.5 24.6 24.7
2011 54.0 54.2 46.8 47.5 29.4 28.9 35.4 36.1 23.9 24.3
2012 53.3 53.5 47.3 46.6 29.5 28.9 34.5 35.7 23.2 24.0
2013 53.1 52.8 45.0 45.6 29.3 28.8 30.6 35.4 25.2 23.6
2014 51.9 52.1 45.8 44.7 28.5 28.8 31.1 35.0 22.6 23.3
2015 52.0 51.5 43.9 43.9 28.3 28.7 39.2 34.6 22.7 23.0
2016 51.0 50.8 42.8 43.0 28.5 28.6 37.2 34.3 23.5 22.7
2017 49.8 50.2 41.5 42.1 28.7 28.6 33.1 33.9 21.8 22.4
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2008 39.6 39.6 46.9 47.2 34.7 34.5 38.8 37.5 32.1 32.3
2009 38.2 38.1 46.3 45.8 32.5 33.0 36.1 37.5 31.6 31.5
2010 36.5 36.6 44.9 44.4 31.8 31.6 34.5 37.5 30.9 30.6
2011 35.4 35.1 42.5 43.1 30.4 30.2 39.2 37.6 29.9 29.8
2012 34.5 34.7 41.4 41.8 28.9 28.8 36.6 37.6 28.6 29.1
2013 33.8 34.2 39.8 40.6 27.0 27.5 37.6 37.6 27.7 28.3
2014 33.9 33.8 40.6 39.3 27.7 27.2 40.9 37.6 29.9 28.8
2015 33.7 33.4 37.6 38.2 27.1 26.9 38.6 37.6 29.3 29.4
2016 33.4 33.0 38.1 37.0 26.4 26.6 36.9 37.6 29.6 29.9
2017 32.1 32.5 35.1 35.9 26.3 26.3 35.9 37.6 30.4 30.5

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
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 2009–2018.

Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 61.4 61.7 75.5 75.5 34.9 34.7 45.0 45.5 30.2 30.4
2010 59.9 59.7 73.5 73.1 33.5 33.8 48.0 47.0 29.5 29.4
2011 57.9 57.8 70.0 70.8 33.0 32.9 47.5 48.5 29.0 28.4
2012 56.1 55.9 68.9 68.5 32.7 32.1 45.9 46.2 27.2 27.5
2013 53.9 54.1 66.0 66.4 30.9 31.3 43.6 44.1 26.6 26.6
2014 52.1 52.4 62.6 62.5 30.1 30.5 43.8 42.1 25.6 25.7
2015 50.0 49.7 59.1 58.8 30.1 29.7 41.5 40.2 25.0 24.8
2016 47.1 47.1 55.4 55.4 28.7 29.0 36.3 38.3 23.1 23.2
2017 44.7 44.6 52.2 52.1 27.2 26.8 36.3 36.6 21.6 21.7
2018 42.1 42.3 48.8 49.1 24.5 24.7 35.3 34.9 20.5 20.4
Prostate Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 20.3 20.5 49.4 50.1 9.8 9.3 18.5 20.4 18.1 18.5
2010 20.1 19.8 48.1 47.1 9.5 9.2 19.5 20.1 18.3 17.9
2011 19.3 19.2 44.0 44.2 9.5 9.2 22.5 19.7 17.4 17.2
2012 18.1 18.5 41.6 41.5 8.4 9.1 17.9 19.4 16.5 16.6
2013 18.0 17.9 39.1 39.0 8.7 9.0 18.0 19.1 15.9 16.0
2014 17.9 17.9 38.0 38.5 8.5 8.9 19.7 18.8 15.5 15.9
2015 17.7 17.9 37.6 38.0 9.1 8.9 21.6 18.5 16.0 15.8
2016 18.2 17.8 38.4 37.5 8.5 8.8 18.4 18.2 15.7 15.6
2017 17.8 17.8 36.4 37.0 8.5 8.7 16.2 17.9 15.7 15.5
2018 17.7 17.8 36.7 36.5 9.2 8.6 17.0 17.7 15.2 15.4
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 18.6 18.6 27.0 27.5 12.8 13.2 16.2 18.8 16.1 15.9
2010 18.1 18.1 27.5 26.8 13.1 12.9 19.1 18.7 15.7 15.6
2011 17.5 17.6 26.2 26.0 12.7 12.6 20.1 18.7 15.1 15.4
2012 17.1 17.1 25.4 25.3 12.7 12.3 15.4 18.6 15.0 15.1
2013 16.9 16.8 24.7 24.6 12.0 12.1 21.1 18.6 15.2 14.8
2014 16.4 16.5 23.2 23.9 12.0 11.8 19.4 18.5 14.4 14.6
2015 16.3 16.2 23.2 23.3 11.4 11.5 22.0 18.4 14.1 14.3
2016 15.9 15.9 23.0 22.6 10.7 11.3 17.5 18.4 13.7 14.1
2017 15.6 15.7 22.3 22.0 11.3 11.0 17.7 18.3 13.8 13.8
2018 15.5 15.4 21.3 21.4 10.8 10.8 16.4 18.2 14.0 13.6

Women
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 2009–2018.

Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 40.0 40.1 35.9 36.3 18.3 18.4 31.3 31.1 13.7 13.6
2010 39.2 39.2 36.3 35.8 18.1 18.3 31.0 31.0 13.7 13.6
2011 38.2 38.3 35.4 35.3 18.5 18.2 30.1 30.9 13.4 13.6
2012 37.7 37.5 34.8 34.8 17.8 18.1 31.5 30.8 13.6 13.5
2013 36.7 36.6 34.1 34.3 18.1 18.0 30.5 30.7 13.3 13.5
2014 36.0 35.8 32.8 32.7 17.8 17.9 28.8 29.5 13.5 13.5
2015 35.0 35.0 30.8 31.1 17.1 17.1 29.6 28.5 13.1 12.9
2016 33.2 33.5 29.8 29.7 16.4 16.3 27.0 27.4 12.3 12.3
2017 31.9 31.9 28.2 28.3 15.6 15.6 26.4 26.4 11.6 11.8
2018 30.6 30.5 27.1 27.0 14.8 14.9 25.3 25.4 11.3 11.2
Female Breast Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 21.8 21.7 30.2 30.5 11.1 11.2 15.6 14.4 14.8 14.8
2010 21.3 21.4 30.2 30.0 11.7 11.2 13.9 14.5 14.3 14.7
2011 20.9 21.0 30.2 29.6 11.2 11.3 14.9 14.5 14.1 14.5
2012 20.7 20.7 29.4 29.1 11.3 11.4 14.8 14.5 14.7 14.4
2013 20.3 20.3 28.2 28.7 11.1 11.4 13.1 14.6 14.6 14.2
2014 20.0 20.0 28.1 28.2 11.6 11.5 13.0 14.6 14.7 14.1
2015 19.8 19.8 27.6 27.8 11.9 11.6 14.9 14.7 13.6 14.0
2016 19.6 19.6 27.4 27.4 10.7 11.6 15.4 14.7 13.9 13.8
2017 19.4 19.4 26.9 27.0 11.9 11.7 16.1 14.8 13.5 13.7
2018 19.2 19.2 26.8 26.5 12.1 11.8 14.2 14.8 13.5 13.6
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Age-Adjusted Death Rate per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2009 12.8 12.8 18.5 18.3 8.8 9.6 16.5 15.3 10.1 9.8
2010 12.6 12.6 17.6 17.7 9.8 9.3 14.4 14.9 9.4 9.6
2011 12.3 12.3 17.7 17.2 9.3 9.1 14.0 14.5 9.6 9.4
2012 12.1 12.1 16.2 16.7 9.4 8.9 13.8 14.1 9.3 9.3
2013 11.9 11.9 15.7 16.2 8.2 8.6 15.2 13.7 9.1 9.1
2014 11.7 11.7 15.3 15.7 7.8 8.4 11.3 13.4 8.8 8.9
2015 11.6 11.5 15.5 15.2 8.7 8.2 12.7 13.0 8.6 8.8
2016 11.3 11.3 15.1 14.8 8.2 8.0 12.2 12.6 8.5 8.6
2017 11.2 11.1 14.5 14.3 7.7 7.8 13.6 12.3 8.7 8.5
2018 10.8 10.9 13.8 13.9 7.3 7.6 12.0 12.0 8.3 8.3

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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 2020 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