The total number of U.S. deaths recorded in May was still above the pre-COVID-19 average.
At least 222,198 people died in the United States from all causes in May, according to preliminary data accompanying the CDC's latest weekly influenza report.
That was 5.6% higher than the total the CDC reported for May 2022 (as of July 2022), and it was 21% higher than the May death averages the CDC preliminarily reported for the period from 2017 through 2019.
The current, preliminary, incomplete 2023 May death count is still 5.6% higher than the 2017-2019 May average based on the CDC's final data for each year.
In April, all-cause mortality was 5.4% higher than the 2017-2019 April average.
The United States recorded about 2.7 million deaths per year before the COVID-19 began. A 5% increase in mortality that lasts an entire year would mean that the country would experience about 135,000 extra deaths.
What It Means
Uncertainty about if and when mortality will get back to normal could continue to complicate life insurance and retirement planning.
Some actuaries believe that the increase in mortality could add to uncertainty by correlating with longer life expectancy for typical older clients, because the pandemic has accelerated the deaths of many people who were in poor health.
