Statisticians at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that COVID-19 was likely the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020.

There is only early data available on the leading causes of death for 2020 and evaluations are still ongoing, but provisional data suggest that COVID-19 may have been responsible for enough deaths in the year to rank third on the list. The agency has provisional data through December 26. “…Our provisional death certificate data through that point show over 301,000 deaths involving COVID-19, which would likely place it 3rd among leading causes of death," stated CDC statisticians… (CNN, January 5, 2021)