U.S. Cancer Statistics are the official federal cancer statistics, providing cancer information on the entire U.S. population. These statistics combine cancer registry data from CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and include important clinical, demographic, and outcome data on the U.S. population.

This is the first official publication of federal data that includes comprehensive national information about new cancer cases and deaths through 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall cancer incidence, which was relatively stable from 2011 to 2019, dropped sharply in 2020. The decline in incidence was observed among both men and women as well as among racial and ethnic groups and age groups.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Many health care systems reduced access to routine care. These measures, along with concern about getting COVID-19, interrupted cancer screening, diagnosis, and care as people postponed or deferred health care visits, particularly between March and May 2020. Additionally, reporting of cancer cases may have been delayed due to disruptions in registry operations.

Cancer rates change from year to year, in part, because of changes in exposures to risk factors, screening test use, diagnostic practices, and treatment. But some changes in 2020 may also be due to disruptions in cancer care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in cancer incidence may be apparent immediately while changes in death rates may take years to see.

CDC will continue to monitor data to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer incidence and mortality.

Read the USCS Data brief for highlights from the 2020 data.

The new data release includes updated cancer survival and prevalence statistics by state and by cancer type. These statistics are based on cancer cases reported from 2013-2019. This data release also includes information about stage at diagnosis for each state.

These data will help public health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and others understand how cancer affects the nation and people in their state and county, create and evaluate prevention programs, conduct research, take action to reduce health disparities, and improve cancer outcomes for all.

How can I access the latest U.S. Cancer Statistics data?

Data Visualizations Tool

Do more than just read cancer data—see the data with the Data Visualizations Tool. The tool includes interactive graphics and data interpretations. You can create and export presentation-ready trend graphs, maps, and tables by state, county, and demographic characteristics. These features make it easier for you to find the information you need to understand, prevent, and control cancer. Watch this video for an overview of the Data Visualizations Tool.

Public Use Databases

Researchers can use the public use databases to take a deeper dive into cancer incidence and population data for the United States and Puerto Rico. With more than 35 million cases and 20 years of data available (2001 to 2020), this is a valuable resource for examining populations by demographic and cancer characteristics.

Questions? Please contact us at uscsdata@cdc.gov