![](https://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/863db01/2147483647/thumbnail/970x647/quality/85/?url=http://media.beam.usnews.com/6c/21/b2e037ac4050ab1d374645c52d7c/190812-seniorwomansilhouette-editorial.jpg)
Alzheimer’s disease has been a leading cause of death in the U.S. for years. The degenerative brain disease was responsible for more than 134,000 deaths in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The sixth-leading cause of death for Americans in 2019, Alzheimer’s was seventh in 2020 despite an 8.7% increase in mortality rate, rising from 29.8 per 100,000 population to 32.4 per 100,000.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60% to 80% of cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It affects approximately 6 million Americans.
Projections indicate the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. will rise as the population of Americans ages 65 and older increases. The older population is expected to grow from some 54 million in 2019 to nearly 95 million by 2060. CDC researchers have projected that the burden of Alzheimer’s and related dementias will rise to roughly 14 million by 2060.
The disease presents an expensive public health threat as well: Health care, long-term care and hospice care costs associated with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are estimated to reach $321 billion in 2022, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and are projected to rise to nearly $1 trillion by 2050.
Based on publicly available CDC data, these are the states with the highest age-adjusted death rates from Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, along with the counties in those states with the highest rates.