Deaths/Mortality in the US in 2004

• Number of deaths: 2,398,343
• Death rate: 816.7 deaths per 100,000 population
• Life expectancy: 77.9 years

Number of deaths for leading causes of death

• Heart disease: 654,092
• Cancer: 550,270
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,147
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 123,884
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 108,694
• Diabetes: 72,815
• Alzheimer’s disease: 65,829
• Influenza/Pneumonia: 61,472
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 42,762
• Septicemia: 33,464

I currently fall in the 45-54 group, myself, but of course my family, friends, and acquaintances occupy all the different slots of the above chart.

And of course, none of them are really reducible to mere numbers.

I own a black suit. I probably shouldn’t get rid of it anytime soon.