The current numbers for the United States, each with its source. We update this page when the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute release new estimates.
5-year relative survival for melanoma of the skin is 94.7% across all stages, based on people diagnosed from 2016 to 2022.3 Stage at diagnosis drives the result. About 77% of cases are found while still localized, and survival in that group is above 99%. For regional disease (10% of cases) it is 76%. For distant disease (5% of cases) it is 34%.3
New cases rose an average of 1.1% a year from 2014 to 2023. Deaths fell an average of 2.2% a year from 2015 to 2024, a drop that the American Cancer Society attributes largely to better treatment.13
Lifetime risk of melanoma is about 1 in 33 for White people, 1 in 200 for Hispanic people, and 1 in 1,000 for Black people.1 Lower risk is not zero risk. People with darker skin are more often diagnosed at a later stage, when melanoma is harder to treat.2
What raises risk and what you can change.
Where skin cancer hides and why it is found late.
The size of the risk and the rules today.
Reviewed against these sources in September 2026. Figures change every year, and this page is updated when new estimates are released.
