More than one in four U.S. adults reported being diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2024, while about 12% regularly experienced anxiety.
Health care costs remained an obstacle: 7.3% of adults went without needed medical care because of cost, and 7.7% altered how they took prescription drugs to save money.
Nearly 10% of adults smoked cigarettes, while 6.9% used e-cigarettes, according to the CDC survey.
The latest detailed results from one of the federal government's largest health surveys paint a mixed picture of Americans' health, showing widespread use of medical care but persistent problems involving chronic illness, mental health and the cost of treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics analyzed 19 key health indicators from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, or NHIS. The survey is based on household interviews with a nationally representative sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
Among the most significant findings, 27.3% of adults reported diagnosed hypertension, or high blood pressure, during the previous 12 months. Another 9.7% met the survey's definition of having a disability, while 3.7% reported an asthma episode during the previous year.
The survey also provides a window into the nation's mental health. About 12.1% of adults said they regularly experienced feelings of worry, nervousness or anxiety, while 4.8% regularly experienced depression. Fourteen percent said they had received counseling from a mental health professional during the previous 12 months.
Most adults saw a doctor
Americans generally remained connected to the health care system. The survey found 85.2% of adults had visited a doctor within the previous year. About one in five — 20.7% — had visited a hospital emergency department.
Other CDC analysis of the same 2024 survey found that 90.3% of adults had a usual source of health care. That percentage rose sharply with age, from 83.7% among people ages 18 to 34 to 97.5% among adults 65 and older.
But having access to the health care system doesn't necessarily mean consumers can afford to use it.
The survey found 7.3% of adults said they did not get needed medical care during the previous 12 months because of the cost. Another 5.9% went without needed mental health care because of cost.
Prescription costs were also an issue. About 7.7% said they did not take medication as prescribed in an effort to save money. The CDC's definition includes skipping doses, taking less medication or delaying filling a prescription because of cost.
Millions remained uninsured
Among adults ages 18 to 64, 11.6% were uninsured at the time they were interviewed. About 69.1% had private health insurance and 21.2% had public coverage. Some people can have more than one type of coverage, so those categories should not be added together.
Looking at Americans of all ages, a separate CDC report based on the 2024 NHIS estimated that 8.2%, or about 27.2 million people, were uninsured. That's down from 9.7%, or 31.6 million people, in 2020. The CDC said the small increase in the uninsured rate between 2023 and 2024 was not statistically significant.
Smoking below 10%, but vaping higher late in the year
The survey also tracked tobacco and vaping habits. About 9.9% of adults were current cigarette smokers in 2024, while 6.9% currently used electronic cigarettes or other vaping products.
The quarterly figures show an interesting difference. Cigarette smoking was relatively stable, declining from 10% in the first quarter to 9.6% in the fourth quarter. E-cigarette use, however, ranged from 6% in the first quarter to 8.1% in the fourth. The annual survey figures alone don't establish whether that represents a lasting trend.
Flu vaccination also remained far from universal. About 43.1% of adults said they had received a flu vaccine during the previous 12 months. The CDC cautions that this measure is different from vaccination coverage for a particular flu season.
Taken together, the findings suggest that most Americans are interacting with the health care system, but millions still face financial barriers that can affect whether they receive treatment or take prescribed medication.
The National Health Interview Survey has been conducted for decades and is one of the federal government's primary sources of information about the health of Americans – but with this caveat. Because the findings are based largely on information reported by survey participants rather than medical records, the numbers should be viewed as population estimates rather than clinical measurements.