In 2011, the age-adjusted death rate for the United States was 740.6 per
100,000 population (1). This rate represents a 0.9% drop from the rate in
2010 (747.0), and is a record low. The highest mortality was observed for
the non-Hispanic black population (903.9), followed by the non-Hispanic
white population (753.9). Death rates for all race groups of the U.S.
population generally have been decreasing since 1935 (2), and the rates for
the Hispanic population have been declining since the late 1990s (3). Data
for 2011 maintain that trend. The figures presented in this report are based on
preliminary mortality data for 2011 and final data for 2000–2010.