Key Statistics for Melanoma Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is by far the most common cancer in the United States. Melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers, but it causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.

How common is melanoma?

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for skin melanoma in the United States for 2026 are:

• About 112,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 65,400 in men and 46,600 in women).
• About 8,510 people are expected to die of melanoma (about 5,500 men and 3,010 women).

How have melanoma rates changed over time?

Changes in the rates of new melanoma diagnoses over the past decade vary by age and sex:

• In people younger than 50, the rates have been stable among women and have declined by about 1% a year in men.
• In people ages 50 and older, rates have increased slightly in both women and men.

Melanoma death rates have gone down over the past decade, largely because of major advances in treatment.

Who is most affected by melanoma?

Having lighter skin color is a major risk factor for melanoma. Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 3% (1 in 33) for White people, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for Black people, and 0.5% (1 in 200) for Hispanic people. But each person’s risk can be affected by a number of factors, which are described in Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention of Melanoma Skin Cancer.

The risk of melanoma increases as people age. The average age at diagnosis is 67. But melanoma can occur even among those younger than 30. In fact, it’s one of the most common cancers in young adults, especially young women.

Melanoma is more common in women than in men before age 50. After age 50, it’s more common among men.

For survival statistics, see Survival Rates for Melanoma Skin Cancer.

See the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.