From February 12 to October 15, 2020, COVID-19 caused about 7,900,000 reported cases and 216,000 deaths in the United States. Early on, people 65 and older and racial and ethnic minority groups made up a disproportionate share of deaths. This CDC report followed how that changed from May to August 2020, using deaths reported to the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) from the 50 states and D.C.
Counting deaths: COVID-19 deaths carry the code U07.1 on death certificates as an underlying or contributing cause. It was the underlying cause — the condition that started the chain of events to death — for about 92%, and contributing for about 8%.
Who died
114,411 COVID-19 deaths were reported from May 1 to August 31, 2020.
| Share of deaths | |
|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 78.2% |
| Male | 53.3% |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 51.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24.2% |
| Black (non-Hispanic) | 18.7% |
| Asian | 3.5% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1.3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or multiracial | 0.5% |
| Died in a hospital (inpatient) | 64.3% |
| Died in a nursing home or long-term care facility | 22% |
Monthly deaths: 37,940 in May, 17,718 in June, 30,401 in July, 28,352 in August.
How it shifted
| May | August | |
|---|---|---|
| South | 23.4% | 62.7% |
| West | 10.6% | 21.4% |
| Northeast | 44.2% | 4.0% |
| Midwest | 21.8% | 11.8% |
| Aged 65+ | 81.8% | 77.6% |
| In nursing homes or long-term care | 29.8% | 16.6% |
| White | 56.9% | 51.5% |
| Black | 20.3% | 17.4% |
| Hispanic | 16.3% | 26.4% |
Figure 1. COVID-19 deaths by region, age and place of death, May–August 2020. CDC.
- Hispanic people were the only group whose share rose. Among those 65 and older, the Hispanic share grew in the South (10.3% to 21.7%) and West (29.6% to 35.4%); among those under 65, in the South (29.2% to 38.1%) and West (51.8% to 62.3%).
- Over the whole period, deaths were concentrated in the South (45.7%), then the Northeast (20.5%), West (18.3%) and Midwest (15.5%).
Figure 2. COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity, May–August 2020. CDC.
What it means
- Disproportion: Black people were 18.7% of deaths but 12.5% of the population; Hispanic people 24.2% of deaths and 18.5% of the population. The Hispanic share of deaths had been 14% in February–May.
- Not just geography: deaths shifted to the South and West, where Hispanic people are a larger share of the population — but disparities grew within those regions too.
- Why: social determinants of health can raise exposure risk — multigenerational and multifamily households, congregate living, in-person jobs (meatpacking, agriculture, service, health care), limited access to care, discrimination — along with differences in underlying conditions such as diabetes and obesity.
- The regional shift fits the hotspots that emerged in the South and West in June–July 2020, and may reflect differences in community mitigation, including earlier reopening. The falling share among older people and in nursing homes suggests a shift toward younger, non-institutionalized people.
CDC continued to recommend masks, frequent handwashing and social distancing, including avoiding large gatherings, and prevention and early detection aimed at the groups hit hardest.
Limitations: provisional death data are updated continually and delayed, so deaths — especially in August — are likely undercounted; and the report doesn't capture long-term illness in survivors or the indirect toll of delayed care (by June 30, 2020, an estimated 41% of U.S. adults had delayed or avoided medical care, 12% avoiding urgent or emergency care).
Sources
Based on Gold JAW, Rossen LM, Ahmad FB, et al., "Race, Ethnicity, and Age Trends in Persons Who Died from COVID-19 — United States, May–August 2020," MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, volume 69, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, posted October 16, 2020; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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