Fast Facts: Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Conditions

This CDC fact sheet provides the aggregate view: 90% of the nation’s $4.9 trillion in annual health care expenditures go toward people with chronic and mental health conditions. That single statistic frames the entire case for prevention — chronic disease is not a secondary concern in the US health system, it is the primary driver of its cost.

For cardiovascular disease specifically: heart disease and stroke together cause more than 843,000 deaths annually, accounting for more than 25% of all US deaths. Annual health care costs for cardiovascular disease are $233.3 billion; lost productivity from CVD adds another $184.6 billion. Projected costs reach approximately $2 trillion by 2050.

The comparative picture matters for prioritization. Cancer causes 1.8 million new diagnoses and more than 600,000 deaths annually, with projected care costs exceeding $240 billion by 2030. Diabetes affects more than 38 million Americans (plus 98 million with prediabetes), at a total 2022 cost of $413 billion. Obesity is the shared upstream risk factor driving trajectory in both CVD and diabetes.

The fact sheet draws on multiple federal data sources — NCHS, CMS, AHA, peer-reviewed publications — compiled into a single accessible reference. Data years vary by disease, and some economic estimates date from 2010–2022 depending on the condition. The aggregate numbers are well-sourced and consistent with more granular analyses from the same underlying data.

We rate the evidence strong. This CDC chronic disease fact sheet provides the cross-condition comparative context that frames cardiovascular disease within the broader chronic disease burden — establishing that CVD and its upstream risk factors (diabetes, obesity, hypertension) account for the majority of preventable US health expenditure.