What to know
Most breast cancers occur in older women, but rates have been increasing slowly among women younger than 45 years in all racial and ethnic groups. At the same time, breast cancer deaths have gone down among women in most racial and ethnic groups.
Incidence rates
Age group
In 2022, a total of 27,136 new cases of breast cancer were reported in women younger than 45 years in the United States. Although most breast cancers are found in women older than 45 years, incidence among younger women increased an average of 0.7% per year from 2001 to 2022 (Figure 1). Incidence rates were stable from 2001 to 2012, then increased 1.1% per year from 2012 to 2022.
Figure 1. Trends in age-adjusted female breast cancer incidence ratesa among women younger than 45 years, United States, 2001–2022b
The average annual percent change (AAPC) is 0.7, which is significantly different from zero (P < 0.05).
The annual percent change (APC) for 2012 through 2021 is 1.1%, which is significantly different from zero (P < 0.05).
Race and ethnicity
From 2001 to 2022, incidence rates increased for women in all racial and ethnic groups (Figure 2). Rates increased more among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native women (2.1%) and non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander women (1.3%) than among non-Hispanic Black women (0.4%), Hispanic women (0.8%), and non-Hispanic White women (0.7%). Non-Hispanic Black women had the highest incidence rates of breast cancer compared to all other racial and ethnic groups during most of this time.
Figure 2. Trends in age-adjusted female breast cancer incidence ratesa among women younger than 45 years,b by racial and ethnic group, United States, 2001–2022
The average annual percent change (AAPC) for each group is:
- Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 2.1
- Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander: 1.3
- Non-Hispanic Black: 0.4
- Hispanic: 0.8
- Non-Hispanic White: 0.7
All AAPCs are significantly different from zero (P < 0.05).
Death rates
In 2023, a total of 2,209 women younger than 45 years died from breast cancer in the United States. From 2001 to 2023, non-Hispanic Black women had the highest breast cancer death rate compared to all other racial and ethnic groups. From 2001 to 2023, breast cancer death rates decreased 1.9% per year on average for non-Hispanic Black women, 1.5% per year on average for non-Hispanic White women, 1.5% per year on average for Hispanic women, and 1.6% per year on average for non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander women. Trends among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native women could not be assessed because of limited data in some years.
Figure 3. Trends in female breast cancer death ratesa,b among women younger than 45 years,c by racial and ethnic group, United States, 2001–2023
The average annual percent change (AAPC) for each group is:
- Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander: -1.6
- Non-Hispanic Black: -1.9
- Hispanic: -1.5
- Non-Hispanic White: -1.5
All AAPCs are significantly different from zero (P < 0.05).
Stage at diagnosis
Stage at diagnosis for cancer describes where the cancer has spread from its origin and serves as a proxy for severity of disease. Stage is categorized as localized (cancer is confined to the primary site), regional (cancer has spread directly beyond the primary site or to regional lymph nodes), or distant (cancer has spread to other organs or remote lymph nodes). Some cancers are unstaged, or the stage is unknown or unspecified. Distant-stage breast cancer has the lowest survival rate.
Stage at diagnosis varied by race and ethnicity. From 2018 to 2022, fewer non-Hispanic Black women were diagnosed with localized-stage breast cancer (45.1%) and more were diagnosed with distant-stage breast cancer (9.9%) (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Female breast cancer stage distribution among those younger than 45 years, by racial and ethnic group,a United States, 2018–2022
5-year relative survival
The 5-year relative survival rate is a comparison of survival of people with and without a disease over a period of time. Although survival varied by stage at diagnosis, non-Hispanic Black women younger than 45 years who were diagnosed with any stage of breast cancer were less likely to be alive 5 years after their diagnosis compared to other women (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Female breast cancer 5-year survival ratesd among women younger than 45 years, by racial and ethnic group and stage at diagnosis, United States, 2018–2022
Risk factors, reducing risk, and screening
Although all women are at risk for getting breast cancer, some factors can raise a woman's risk for getting breast cancer before age 45. Talk to your doctor about your family history and other risk factors.
If you have a higher risk of breast cancer, consider genetic counseling and testing. If you're at higher risk due to a family history of certain cancers or have a genetic mutationthat runs in your family, talk to your doctor about ways to lower your risk for breast and other cancers.
Learn more about the symptoms of breast cancer and see a health care provider if you notice any changes to your breasts. For women who are age 40 to 74 and at average risk for breast cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends getting a mammogram every 2 years.
Footnotes
aRates are per 100,000 and age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population (19 age groups - Census P25-1130).
b2020 data were excluded from this trend analysis due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on data quality.
cThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services, leading to delays and reductions in cancer screening and diagnosis, which may have contributed to lower incidence for most cancer sites in 2020. For more information, see Impact of COVID-19 on SEER Data Releases.
dBased on cancers diagnosed from 2018 to 2022.
Data sources
Data in this brief come from U.S. Cancer Statistics, the official federal cancer statistics.
Incidence data: National Program of Cancer Registries and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program SEER*Stat Database: U.S. Cancer Statistics Incidence Analytic Database, 1998–2022. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Released June 2025, based on the 2024 submission.
Death data: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program SEER*Stat Database: Mortality, 1990–2023. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute. Released February 2025.
Survival data: National Program of Cancer Registries survival database. Released June 2025, based on the 2024 submission.