Black/African Americans have the highest mortality rate of any racial and ethnic group for all cancers combined and for most major cancers.1
- Black/African American men had a five-year mortality rate for colorectal cancer that was 37% higher than the total population of American men from 2019–2023.
- The statistics for Black/African American men and prostate cancer skew the most negative of any group; in 2022, they were diagnosed 65% more often than the total population and died within 5 years 92% more often than the total population from 2019–2023.
- Black/African American women were diagnosed with stomach cancer 54% more often than the total population of American women in 2022.
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Occurrence
| Cancer among adults ages 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* | Total Population | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| All Sites | 6.5 | 10.3 | 0.63 |
| Breast | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.89 |
| Cervical (women) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.86 |
| Prostate (men) | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.35 |
| Any Skin | 0.3 | 3.6 | 0.08 |
Top Cancer Sites
| Cancer incidence among males, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Males | Total Population | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| All Sites | 556.8 | 500.3 | 1.11 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 50.2 | 43.5 | 1.15 |
| Esophagus | 5.1 | 7.3 | 0.70 |
| Kidney | 27.5 | 23.6 | 1.17 |
| Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) | 15.3 | 13.9 | 1.10 |
| Lung | 63.4 | 53.1 | 1.19 |
| Oral Cavity & Pharynx | 13.5 | 17.9 | 0.75 |
| Pancreas | 18.5 | 15.9 | 1.16 |
| Prostate | 220.9 | 133.6 | 1.65 |
| Stomach | 12.8 | 9.6 | 1.33 |
| Cancer incidence among females, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| All Sites | 433.8 | 441.7 | 0.98 |
| Breast | 137.4 | 136.5 | 1.01 |
| Cervical | 7.9 | 7.8 | 1.01 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 38.5 | 34.0 | 1.13 |
| Kidney | 13.5 | 12.0 | 1.13 |
| Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) | 5.2 | 5.8 | 0.90 |
| Lung | 43.3 | 43.7 | 0.99 |
| Pancreas | 16.0 | 12.7 | 1.26 |
| Stomach | 10.0 | 6.5 | 1.54 |
| Uterus | 32.0 | 29.2 | 1.10 |
Five-Year Survival Rates
| 5-year survival rate among males, percentage, 2015–2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Males | Total Population | Ratio (Black*/ Total) |
| All Sites | 68.1 | 68.7 | 0.99 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 57.7 | 64.5 | 0.89 |
| Kidney | 76.1 | 76.8 | 0.99 |
| Liver & IBD | 19.6 | 21.7 | 0.90 |
| Lung | 21.4 | 23.8 | 0.90 |
| Pancreas | 10.7 | 13.1 | 0.82 |
| Prostate | 97.4 | 97.9 | 0.99 |
| Stomach | 34.1 | 34.2 | 1.00 |
| 5-year survival rate among females, percentage, 2015-2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Females | Total Population | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| All Sites | 64.0 | 71.2 | 0.90 |
| Breast | 84.3 | 91.7 | 0.92 |
| Cervical | 59.0 | 68.0 | 0.87 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 62.1 | 66.4 | 0.94 |
| Kidney | 79.7 | 81.4 | 0.98 |
| Liver & IBD | 23.3 | 22.8 | 1.02 |
| Lung | 29.9 | 32.6 | 0.92 |
| Pancreas | 13.1 | 13.5 | 0.97 |
| Stomach | 46.3 | 43.2 | 1.07 |
| Uterus | 62.8 | 81.1 | 0.77 |
Mortality
| 5-year mortality among males, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Males | Total Male Population | Ratio (Black*/ Total) |
| All Sites | 203.6 | 171.5 | 1.19 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 21.0 | 15.3 | 1.37 |
| Liver & IBD | 12.0 | 9.4 | 1.28 |
| Lung | 44.5 | 37.2 | 1.20 |
| Pancreas | 15.1 | 12.9 | 1.17 |
| Prostate | 36.9 | 19.2 | 1.92 |
| Stomach | 6.4 | 3.5 | 1.83 |
| 5-year mortality among females, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Black* Females | Total Female Population | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| All Sites | 143.7 | 126.3 | 1.14 |
| Breast | 26.5 | 19.2 | 1.38 |
| Cervical | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.41 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 13.4 | 10.8 | 1.24 |
| Liver & IBD | 4.6 | 4.3 | 1.07 |
| Pancreas | 12.3 | 9.9 | 1.24 |
| Stomach | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| Uterus | 9.8 | 5.3 | 1.85 |
Health Care Use
| Females ages 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, crude percentage, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Black* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| 85.6 | 79.8 | 1.07 |
| Females aged 21 to 65 years receiving a cervical cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Black* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| 72.9 | 73.9 | 0.99 |
| Adults aged 45 to 75 years receiving a colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Black* | Total Population | Ratio (Black* / Total) |
| 64.8 | 63.5 | 1.02 |
*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.
1SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to top)
Date Last Reviewed: January 2026