The federal government collects and analyzes vital statistics and publishes the results in annual summaries.  Each year, approximately 0.8% of the entire U.S. population succumbs to illnesses or accidents (roughly 2.4 million deaths per year).
	According to the Centers for Disease Control (National Vital Statistics Report – preliminary data), the leading causes of death in the United States in 2006 were:
	cause of death                            # of deaths
	major cardiac disease     629,191
	cancer       560,102
	stroke       137,265
	chronic lower respiratory diseases   124,614
	accidents (excluding suicides)                              121,599
	Alzheimer’s disease        73,177
	diabetes          72,507
	influenza and pneumonia        56,247
	septicemia          44,791