Objective:

Background:

Dementia is becoming a serious public health problem in the United States, as the population ages and the wealth gap widens.

Design/Methods:

From 1999 to 2023, data were collected from the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death database using ICD-10 codes F01 to F03 and G30 to detect dementia-related mortality among individuals aged 65 and above. The age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 were calculated using the standard population of the United States in 2000. Joinpoint regression was used to calculate the annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC).

Results:

Between 1999 and 2023, 3.14 million people in the United States died from dementia. The age-adjusted mortality rate almost doubled from 45.7 to 94.2 per 100,000 people, resulting in an average yearly percentage increase of 2.9% (p < 0.001). Significant geographical heterogeneity was discovered. The Southern area had the highest death rate (112.5 per 100,000 in 2023) and the fastest increase (AAPC = +3.4 percent), while the Northeast had the slowest growth (AAPC = +2.1 percent). Women had consistently greater death rates than men, with a female-to-male ratio of around 1.6 to 1. Racial disparities increased over time, with non-Hispanic Black adults seeing the greatest increases in mortality (AAPC = +3.6 percent), followed by Hispanic adults (AAPC = +3.1 percent).  

Conclusions:

Over the last 25 years, dementia-related mortality in the United States has more than quadrupled, with significant geographical, racial, and socioeconomic disparities. The unequal burden among Southern, rural, and minority communities points to the importance of targeted public health measures, fair access to cognitive therapy, and region-specific dementia monitoring programs.