Here are a few hard facts about heart health in America:
One person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease.
In 2023, 919,032 people died from cardiovascular disease. That’s the equivalent of 1 in every 3 deaths.
About 1 out of every 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease is among adults younger than 65.
In the U.S., someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.
About 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent — the damage is done, but the person isn’t aware of it.
Heart disease cost nearly $418 billion in the U.S. from 2020 to 2021. This includes the cost of health care services, medicines and lost productivity.
The main causes of heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and excessive drinking.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Rural Risks
Nearly 50,000 Floridians a year die of heart disease, and nine of the 10 counties in Florida with the highest death rates are rural. Limited access to health care, behaviors like smoking and not getting enough exercise, and social determinants of health (including income, education and employment status) are among the factors contributing to poorer heart health in rural regions, according to the American Heart Association.