Heart disease death rates decreased for both blacks and whites from 1968 to 2015 in the United States; however, at the national level and in most states, blacks experienced smaller decreases than whites for the majority of the study period. This according to a study that examined heart disease death rates among blacks and whites aged ≥35 years in the US from 1968 to 2015. Among the findings:

• During the study period, heart disease death rates decreased for the total US population among adults aged ≥35 years, from 1,034.5 to 327.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, with variations in the magnitude of decreases by race and state.
• Rates decreased for the total population an average of 2.4% per year, with greater average decreases among whites (2.4% per year) than blacks (2.2% per year).
• Despite modest decreases in black-white disparities at the national level since 2005, heart disease death rates were 21% higher among blacks than whites.