NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics

U.S. Fertility Rate Drops to Another Historic Low

Image on left is a pregnant woman silhouette. Abstract red and green flowers form her hair and cover her body. Text says the provisional general fertility rate declined 3% in 2023 from 2022.

The general fertility rate in the United States decreased by 3% from 2022, reaching a historic low. This marks the second consecutive year of decline, following a brief 1% increase from 2020 to 2021. From 2014 to 2020, the rate consistently decreased by 2% annually. These statistics and others from provisional 2023 birth data were Read More >

Posted on by Brian Tsai

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 3–17 Years Who Ever Received a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, by Family Income, 2020–2022

Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 3–17 Years Who Ever Received a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, by Family Income, 2020–2022

During 2020–2022, 3.4% of children and adolescents aged 3–17 years had received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children and adolescents decreased as family income increased. Supplementary Table: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/152917 Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2020–2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7315a5.htm Read More >

Posted on by Julie Weeks, Nazik Elgaddal, and Natalie Young

Beyond the Checkbox: New Standards for Health Data Reflect the Nation’s Diversity

Accurate data on race and ethnicity are essential for understanding the health of different populations. This information helps identify health disparities and supports public health programs and research. By collecting race and ethnicity data, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) plays a vital role in advancing health equity in the United States. On March Read More >

Posted on by William Vaughn, Senior Health Communications Specialist, Abt contractor with NCHS Office of Information Services

QuickStats: Life Expectancy at Birth, by Sex — United States, 2019–2022

Life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population in 2022 was 77.5 years, an increase from 76.4 years in 2021. Although life expectancy rose in 2022 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it remains lower compared with prepandemic life expectancy in 2019 (78.8 years). This pattern was similar for males and females. Read More >

Posted on by Arialdi M. Miniño and Jiaquan Xu

From Numbers to Knowledge: Building America’s Mortality Report

Today, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released final mortality data for 2022 and an accompanying data brief, “Mortality in the United States: 2022.” In 2022, 3,279,857 resident deaths were registered in the United States. When it comes to understanding the health of the nation, this annual data brief provides a key piece of Read More >

Posted on by William Vaughn, Senior Health Communications Specialist, Abt contractor with NCHS Office of Information Services

Marriages in the U.S. in 2022 Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Back of wedding couple entering ballroom.

In 2022, the United States witnessed a significant uptick in the number of marriages, reaching a total of 2,065,905[1]. This marked the first instance of surpassing the 2 million mark since 2019 when the figure stood at 2,015,603. The marriage rate also experienced a significant increase, reaching 6.2 per 1,000 population – the highest rate Read More >

Posted on by Brian Tsai

Q & A from the Report Author of Chronic School Absenteeism

A sick young boy lies in bed. In 2022, White and Hispanic children were more likely to have missed 15 or more school days in the past year.

Questions for Lindsey Black, Statistician and Lead Author of “Chronic School Absenteeism for Health-related Reasons Among Children Ages 5‒17 Years: United States, 2022” Q: What would you say was the most significant finding in this report? LB: There are few national data sources available to examine the prevalence of school absenteeism due to health-related reasons. Read More >

Posted on by Whitney Anderson

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years Who Had Chronic School Absenteeism Due to Illness, Injury, or Disability During the Past 12 Months, by Age Group and Year — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019 and 2022

The percentage of children and adolescents aged 5–17 years who had chronic school absenteeism during the past 12 months was higher in 2022 (5.8%) than in 2019 (3.3%). From 2019 to 2022, the percentage of children who had chronic school absenteeism increased for each age group. The percentage of children who had chronic school absenteeism Read More >

Posted on by Lindsey Black and Nazik Elgaddal

QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Lacked Reliable Transportation for Daily Living in the Past 12 Months, by Disability Status and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

The figure is a bar graph illustrating the percentage of adults aged ≥18 years who lacked reliable transportation for daily living in the past 12 months, by disability status and age group, in the United States during 2022 according to the National Health Interview Survey."

In 2022, 5.7% of adults aged ≥18 years lacked reliable transportation for daily living in the past 12 months. The percentage lacking reliable transportation for daily living among those with disability was higher (14.4%) compared with those without disability (4.9%). The percentages among persons with disability were higher than percentages among those without disability in Read More >

Posted on by Amanda Ng, Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, and James Dahlhamer

The National Center for Health Statistics Launches New Rapid Surveys System

The image shows a stopwatch and report icons with text reading, “NCHS Rapid Surveys System. New methods, faster results. Getting the right data in the right hands at the right time.”

Rapid and reliable response to public health needs has never been more crucial than in today’s world. The National Center for Health Statistics is now partnering with other CDC programs and government survey experts to fill information gaps by providing access to timely data through its new Rapid Surveys System. WHAT ARE RAPID SURVEYS? Rapid Read More >

Posted on by Whitney AndersonTags

QuickStats: Percentage of Newborns Breastfed Between Birth and Discharge from Hospital, by Maternal Age — National Vital Statistics System, 49 States and the District of Columbia, 2021 and 2022

Percentage of Newborns Breastfed Between Birth and Discharge from Hospital, by Maternal Age — National Vital Statistics System, 49 States and the District of Columbia, 2021 and 2022

Among 49 states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of newborns breastfed between birth and discharge from the hospital increased from 83.3% in 2021 to 85.2% in 2022. Increases were observed for each maternal age group; the largest increases occurred among younger maternal age groups (70.4% to 74.5% among mothers aged <20 years and Read More >

Posted on by Michelle OstermanTags

Q & A from the Report Author of Telemedicine Use Among Physicians

Questions for Kelly Myrick, Statistician and Lead Author of “Telemedicine Use Among Physicians by Physician Specialty: United States, 2021.” Q: Why did you decide to do a report on telemedicine usage among physicians? KM: Telemedicine technology is a shared topic of interest of the coauthors. We wanted to explore telemedicine technology by physician specialty on Read More >

Posted on by Brian Tsai

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged ≤17 Years Who Visited an Urgent Care Center or a Clinic in a Drug Store or Grocery Store in the Past 12 Months, by Age Group and Year — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2021–2022

The percentage of children and adolescents aged ≤17 years who had at least one visit to an urgent care center or a clinic in a drug store or grocery store in the past 12 months increased from 21.6% in 2021 to 28.4% in 2022. This increase was noted for all age groups during 2021–2022. In Read More >

Posted on by Elizabeth Briones and Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo

QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years with Diagnosed Diabetes, by Urbanization Level and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

In 2022, 9.6% of adults aged ≥18 years had diagnosed diabetes, with the percentage lower among adults living in metropolitan areas (9.2%) compared with adults in nonmetropolitan areas (11.8%). The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was lower in metropolitan areas only among those aged 35–49 years (5.3% versus 7.7%) and aged 50–64 years (13.3% versus 16.3%). Read More >

Posted on by Ellen Kramarow and Nazik Elgaddal

QuickStats: Rate of Triplet and Higher-Order Multiple Births by Age of Mother — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1998 and 2022

The triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate declined from an all-time high of 193.5 per 100,000 total births in 1998 to 78.9 in 2022. From 1998 to 2022, triplet and higher-order birth rates increased among mothers aged <20 years (from 17.6 to 27.5) but declined among mothers aged ≥20 years. In both 1998 and 2022, Read More >

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QuickStats: Average Number of Stroke Deaths per Day, by Month and Sex — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2021

In 2021, the average number of stroke deaths per day was highest in January (275 for females and 212 for males) and then declined to a monthly low in June (235 for females and 180 for males). Beginning in July, the average number of stroke deaths per day increased for each successive month through the Read More >

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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Received an Influenza Vaccination During the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Race and Ethnicity — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

In 2022, among persons aged ≥18 years, women were more likely than were men (49.2% versus 41.1%) to have received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months. Women were more likely than were men to have received an influenza vaccination among Asian (61.0% versus 50.7%), Black (40.6% versus 30.1%), Hispanic (43.5% versus 35.9%), and Read More >

Posted on by Nazik Elgaddal and Ellen KramarowTags ,

Life Expectancy Increases, However Suicides Up in 2022

Image on left shows smiling older man embracing contented baby with text on right stating life expectancy at birth increased more than a year from 2021 to 2022.

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics released two reports today examining provisional mortality data from 2022. While analysis shows the number and rate of suicides increased for the second year in a row from, overall life expectancy at birth increased by just over a year. This increase regains some of the 2.4 years of life Read More >

Posted on by Christy HagenTags , , ,

QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Rarely or Never Get the Social and Emotional Support They Need, by Sex and Disability Status — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2021

In 2021, 6.9% of adults aged ≥18 years rarely or never got the social and emotional support they needed. Overall, the percentage was higher among those with a disability (11.7%) than among those without disability (6.4%). Among men, 11.3% of those with disability rarely or never got needed support, compared with 7.0% of those without Read More >

Posted on by Basilica ArockiarajTags

Understanding Fertility and Families for 50 Years

A large number 50 with party streamers above it. Next to the 50 is text celebrating 50 years of the National Survey of Family Growth. The National Survey of Family Growth URL is below the 50.

The National Survey of Family Growth is celebrating its 50th year anniversary in 2023. This survey, administered by NCHS, provides a comprehensive, nationally representative snapshot of topics related to fertility, family formation, and reproductive health in the United States. The National Survey of Family Growth’s core purpose has been to explain U.S. birth rates by Read More >

Posted on by Christy Hagen

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years Who Practiced Yoga During the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years Who Practiced Yoga During the Past 12 Months,† by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

In 2022, 12.3% of children and adolescents aged 4–17 years had practiced yoga in the past 12 months. Children and adolescents aged 4–11 years were more likely to have practiced yoga than those aged 12–17 years (14.7% versus 9.2%). The declining percentages with age were found for both males and females: 10.4% versus 5.3% among Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Felt Very Tired or Exhausted Most Days or Every Day in the Past 3 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Felt Very Tired or Exhausted Most Days or Every Day in the Past 3 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2022

In 2022, 13.5% of adults aged 18 and older felt very tired or exhausted most days or every day in the past 3 months, and this percentage declined with age. Among men, the percentage was highest among those aged 18–44 years (11.0%), followed by those aged 45–64 years (9.7%) and ≥65 years (8.9%). Among women, Read More >

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New Reports Examine Health Insurance Coverage in 2022

Computer keyboard, stethoscope, and clipboard that says "Health Insurance"

NCHS has released two new National Health Statistics Reports, “Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Coverage: United States 2022,” and “Demographic Variation in Health Insurance Coverage: United States 2022,” that describe the national estimates of different types of health insurance coverage and estimates of being uninsured. Estimates are presented by selected sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. Overall, Read More >

Posted on by Christy HagenTags

Fetal Mortality Declined 5% Between 2021 and 2022

An image on the left shows a white flower floating on the water, and a transparent background box on the right states the overall fetal mortality rate declined 5% from 2021 to 2022.

According to analysis of data from the National Vital Statistics System, the overall fetal mortality rate in the United States declined 5% between 2021 and 2022, from 5.73 fetal deaths per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths to 5.45. The Vital Statistics Rapid Release, “Fetal Mortality in the United States: Final 2020-2021 and 2021-Provisional 2022” Read More >

Posted on by Christy HagenTags , ,

QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Who Used the Internet in the Past 12 Months to Communicate with a Doctor or Doctor’s Office, by Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, United States, July–December 2022

During July–December 2022, 41.5% of U.S. adults used the Internet in the past 12 months to communicate with a doctor or doctor’s office. The percentage of adults who used the Internet to communicate with a doctor or doctor’s office was highest among adults living in large central metropolitan (45.9%) and large fringe metropolitan (47.0%) counties, Read More >

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