The majority of deaths of persons 15 to 24 years old can be attributed to behavioral or accidental causes over the past 40 years. Since 1960, deaths by accidents have been the leading cause of death for individuals in both the 5 to 14 and 15 to 24 age groups, with motor vehicle accidents making up a large proportion of these accidental deaths in the 15- to 24-year-old group. Between 1985 and 1990, there was a rapid rise in the homicide rate and a continuing drop in the motor vehicle accident rate among 15- to 24-year-olds. The accidental death rate among both the 5- to 14-year-old group and 15- to 24-year-old group has steadily declined since 1970, while the homicide rate among the 15- to 24-year-old group has likewise steadily declined since 1995. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, the homicide rate for Black males has remained significantly higher than the rate for Black females and White males and females. Deaths resulting from cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia/influenza have shown steady declines since the late 1960s and early 1970s.